DAVENPORT — U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said recently that she will run for re-election in the newly drawn First Congressional District.
Speaking at Dahl Old Car Home, 5215 Grand Ave., the Ottumwa Republican noted that speculation has focused on whether she would seek another term in the new Third District or the First District following the General Assembly’s approval of the second district reapportionment plan.
“The real question has never been, ‘Where is she going?’ but ‘Where are we going?’ Are we going to continue down the Biden-Pelosi plan of more reckless spending, more runaway inflation and more government intrusion into our lives, or are we going to espouse policies that create more economic freedom, better wages for working families, a better tax system for Main Street businesses, farmers and the industries that power our country, and more educational opportunities for our children and grandchildren?” she said. “I’m running because we need to stop the destructive, tax-and-spend policies of the Biden-Pelosi team and restore economic sanity and good old common sense to our government.”
Miller-Meeks emphasized her strong ties to the new First District, which includes 16 of 24 counties in the current Second Congressional District.
“The newly drawn First Congressional District encompasses the bulk of the current Second Congressional District, and includes more than 85 percent of the constituents that I currently represent. While Wapello County, where my current home is located, is not part of the new district, the counties that will become the new First Congressional District next year have been home to me for many reasons.
“Before I was elected to Congress, I practiced ophthalmology at Great River Eye Specialists in West Burlington. I taught at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. I know the concerns of business owners, working families, farmers and others who make their local communities what they are. And I have a special connection with so many people throughout the new First District,” Miller-Meeks said. “It is for those reasons that I have decided that I will seek my second congressional term as a candidate in Iowa’s First Congressional District.”
Recalling her 2019 announcement that she would run for Congress, Miller-Meeks added, “I said too many people were quitting on Iowans and that my campaign was about securing a better future for Iowans. Those words are just as true today as they were 26 months ago. My candidacy is about never quitting on the promise that Iowans can achieve so much more when we are not under the thumb of one-size-fits-all Washington, D.C. politicians.”
She continued, “While the liberal Democrats have given up on Iowans and their fight for the American dream, I never will. I will continue to fight for affordable and accessible health care, a stronger economy, better jobs and higher take-home pay, skills training, fair trade deals, and an education that works for our kids, not the teachers’ unions. As I announce today that I am running in the First Congressional District, I will never give up on Iowans, our future, the American dream, or the conservative values that have made our country the beacon of hope and freedom that it is.”
Miller-Meeks is an ophthalmologist who served 24 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves, retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel. She is a former state senator, former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, and served as president of the Iowa Medical Society. She and her husband, Curt, have two adult children.
Editor’s note: The above release was sent from Congresswoman Miller-Meeks’ office.
