Mariannette Miller-Meeks | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa | |
Assumed office January 3, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Dave Loebsack |
Constituency | 2nd district (2021–2023) 1st district (2023–present) |
Member of the Iowa Senate from the 41st district | |
In office January 14,2019 –January 2,2021 | |
Preceded by | Mark Chelgren |
Succeeded by | Adrian Dickey |
Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health | |
In office January 15,2011 –January 9,2014 | |
Governor | Terry Branstad |
Preceded by | Tom Newton |
Succeeded by | Gerd W. Clabaugh |
Personal details | |
Born | Mariannette Jane Miller September 6,1955 Herlong,California,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Curt Meeks (m. 1983) |
Children | 2 |
Education | Texas Christian University (BSN) University of Southern California (MS) University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (MD) |
Signature | |
Website | House website |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (born September 6, 1955) is an American physician and Republican Party politician serving as a U.S. representative since 2021, representing Iowa's 1st congressional district. Her district, numbered as the 2nd district in her first term, includes most of Iowa's southeastern quadrant, including Davenport, Bettendorf, Burlington, and Iowa City. Miller-Meeks served as Iowa state senator for the 41st district from 2019 to 2021.
Miller-Meeks ran three unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. House against Dave Loebsack. When Loebsack retired in 2020, she ran again and defeated Rita Hart by a margin of six votes. She was reelected in 2022 by a margin of nearly seven percentage points.
Miller-Meeks was born in Herlong, California, in 1955. [1] She enlisted in the United States Army at the age of 18 and served for 24 years, including as a nurse, physician, and member of the United States Army Reserve. She retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel.
A first-generation college student, Miller-Meeks earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Texas Christian University, a Master of Science in education from the University of Southern California, and a Doctor of Medicine from University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. [2]
Miller-Meeks operated a private ophthalmology practice in Ottumwa, Iowa, until 2008. She also served as the first female president of the Iowa Medical Society. She was the first woman on the faculty of the University of Iowa's department of ophthalmology and visual sciences, and worked as a representative from Iowa to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. [2] In 2010, Governor Terry Branstad appointed Miller-Meeks director of the Iowa Department of Public Health; she resigned in 2014 to run for Congress. [3] [4]
When Mark Chelgren announced he was not running for reelection, she ran for Iowa Senate, District 41 in 2018, defeating Democratic nominee Mary Stewart. [5] Her term in the Iowa Senate began January 14, 2019.
Miller-Meeks was the Republican nominee for Iowa's 2nd congressional district in 2008, 2010, and 2014, losing to Dave Loebsack in all three races.
In her 2014 campaign, Miller-Meeks opposed the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). [1] She also stated her opposition to legalized abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or harm to the mother. [1] She opposed same-sex marriage. [1] She criticized EPA regulation of waterways and coal plants, saying it creates uncertainty for farmers. [1]
Miller-Meeks ran to represent Iowa's 2nd congressional district again in 2020, following Loebsack's retirement. [6] She won the June 2 Republican primary election, defeating former Illinois Congressman Bobby Schilling.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she "practices social distancing, wears a mask in public and sanitizes her hands" but does not support face mask mandates. [7]
She faced the Democratic nominee, former state senator Rita Hart, in the November general election. [8] After Loebsack announced his retirement, journalists and election forecasters labeled the 2nd congressional district a swing district. Miller-Meeks defeated Hart in the general election by six votes, making this the closest election in 2020 and flipping Iowa's 2nd Congressional District from Democratic to Republican control in one of the closest races in 100 years; the state certified the victory. [9] [10]
Hart contested the certified result through a petition with the Committee on House Administration under the 1969 Federal Contested Elections Act, which sets forth procedures for contesting state election results in the House under the Constitution. [11] Hart did not contest the election in Iowa's courts. [11] [12] [13] In her petition, Hart contended, without evidence, that 22 legally cast votes were not counted. Had they been counted, per her petition, she would have won the race by nine votes. [14] [15]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi provisionally seated Miller-Meeks on January 3, 2021, pending adjudication of Hart's petition. [14] [16] The Committee on House Administration reviewed Hart's petition, and Pelosi claimed the House had the authority to expel Miller-Meeks, [17] [18] but on March 31, Hart withdrew her challenge. [19]
Miller-Meeks and Michelle Fischbach are the only Republican members of Congress to flip Democratic House districts that were not held by Republicans in the 115th Congress before 2018.
Miller-Meeks ran for reelection, this time in Iowa's 1st congressional district, for the 2022 elections. [20] During redistricting, her home in Ottumwa was drawn into the neighboring 3rd district, but almost all of her former territory was drawn into the 1st, effectively trading district numbers with fellow Republican freshman Ashley Hinson. While members of the House are only required to live in the state they represent, Miller-Meeks moved to Le Claire, near Davenport. Miller-Meeks defeated Democratic nominee Christina Bohannan in the November 2022 general election. [21]
Miller-Meeks, along with all other Senate and House Republicans, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. [22]
On May 19, 2021, Miller-Meeks was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the January 6 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol. [23]
In 2020, Miller-Meeks said that an infrastructure bill would be her main priority, suggesting a fuel tax increase to pay for it. [24]
In 2021, Miller-Meeks voted against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. [25]
On July 21, 2021, Miller-Meeks and Deborah Ross co-sponsored the America's CHILDREN Act. [26] The bill would prevent the children of long-term visa holders who came to the U.S. legally with their parents from having their visas expire the day they turn 21. If they have maintained legal status in the U.S. for 10 years and graduated from an institution of higher education, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency. [26]
In 2021, Miller Meeks was one of 29 Republicans to vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. [27] This bill expanded legal protections for transgender people, and contained provisions allowing transgender women to use women's shelters and serve time in prisons matching their gender identity rather than by biological sex. [28]
On July 19, 2022, Miller-Meeks and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified the right to same-sex marriage in federal law. [29]
In 2022, Meeks was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior. [30] [31]
Miller-Meeks introduced the Veterans Cannabis Analysis, Research, and Effectiveness Act.
For the 118th Congress: [32]
Miller-Meeks is a resident of LeClaire, Iowa. She is married to Curt Meeks, the Compliance Officer at Ottumwa Regional Health Center, and has two children. [34] [35] She is Roman Catholic. [1] Miller-Meeks organized a physician recruitment and retention organization to help bring physicians to southeast Iowa and has served as a court-appointed special advocate volunteer for children. [2]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 175,218 | 57.19 | |
Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 118,778 | 38.77 | |
Green | Wendy Barth | 6,664 | 2.18 | |
Independent | Brian White | 5,437 | 1.78 | |
No party | Others | 261 | 0.09 | |
Total votes | 306,358 | 100.00 | ||
Turnout | ||||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 115,839 | 50.99 | |
Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 104,319 | 45.92 | |
Libertarian | Gary Joseph Sicard | 4,356 | 1.92 | |
Constitution | Jon Tack | 2,463 | 1.08 | |
No party | Others | 198 | 0.09 | |
Total votes | 227,175 | 100.00 | ||
Turnout | ||||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 143,431 | 52.48 | |
Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 129,455 | 47.36 | |
Write-ins | 443 | 0.16 | ||
Total votes | 273,329 | 100 | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 1,706 | 85.39 | |
Republican | Daniel Cesar | 279 | 13.96 | |
Write-ins | 13 | 0.65 | ||
Total votes | 2,134 | 100 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 11,451 | 51.77 | |
Democratic | Mary Stewart | 10,632 | 48.07 | |
Write-ins | 36 | 0.16 | ||
Total votes | 22,119 | 100 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 196,964 | 49.912 | |
Democratic | Rita Hart | 196,958 | 49.910 | |
Write-ins | 703 | 0.178 | ||
Total votes | 394,625 | 100.0 | ||
Republican gain from Democratic |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 160,441 | 53.3 | |
Democratic | Christina Bohannan | 140,453 | 46.6 | |
Write-ins | 256 | 0.1 | ||
Total votes | 301,150 | 100.0 |
George Miller III is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1975 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the state's 7th congressional district until redistricting in 2013 and 11th congressional district until his retirement. Miller served as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee from 1991 to 1995 and Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee from 2007 until 2011.
Deborah Ross is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district since 2021. Her district is based in Raleigh. A member of the Democratic Party, Ross served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2003 to 2013, representing the state's 38th and then 34th House district, including much of northern Raleigh and surrounding suburbs in Wake County.
Iowa's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southeastern part, bordering the states of Illinois and Missouri, and the Mississippi River. The district includes the cities of Davenport, Iowa City, Burlington, and Indianola. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks is the current U.S. representative. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+3, it is one of the least Republican districts in Iowa, a state with an all-Republican congressional delegation.
David Wayne Loebsack is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he also is an emeritus professor of political science at Cornell College, where he had taught since 1982. On April 12, 2019, Loebsack announced he would not seek reelection.
The Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Iowa.
The Iowa United States House of Representatives election in 2008 was held on November 4, 2008 and determined who would hold Iowa's seats in the United States House of Representatives during 2009-10. Each of the five incumbents was up for election, and each won re-election.
Michelle Louise Helene Fischbach is an American attorney and politician who is the U.S. representative from Minnesota's 7th congressional district. The district, which is very rural, is Minnesota's largest by area and includes most of the western part of the state. A Republican, Fischbach served as the 49th lieutenant governor of Minnesota from 2018 until 2019. As of 2024, she is the last Republican to have held statewide office in Minnesota.
The 2010 House elections in Iowa occurred on November 2, 2010, and elected the members of the State of Iowa's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. Iowa has five seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census.
Carol Miller is an American farmer, educator, and politician who has represented West Virginia's 1st congressional district since 2019. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 2019 to 2023, covers the southern half of the state, including Huntington, Charleston, Bluefield, and Beckley.
The 117th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2021, during the final weeks of Donald Trump's presidency and the first two years of Joe Biden's presidency and ended on January 3, 2023.
Rita Hart is an American politician and retired educator who served as an Iowa State Senator from the 49th district from 2013 to 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Hart ran for lieutenant governor of Iowa on the Democratic ticket, with running mate Fred Hubbell.
Rebecca Michelle "Mikie" Sherrill is an American politician, former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, attorney, and former federal prosecutor serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 11th congressional district since 2019. The district includes a swath of suburban and exurban areas west of New York City. A member of the Democratic Party, Sherrill was elected on November 6, 2018. She was reelected in 2020 by a slightly narrower margin and reelected in 2022 by a wide margin.
Kendra Suzanne Horn is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Oklahoma's 5th congressional district from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, her district included almost all of Oklahoma City.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Iowa, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The 2022 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Iowa. Incumbent Republican Senator Chuck Grassley defeated Democratic nominee Michael Franken to win re-election to an eighth term.
Ashley Elizabeth Hinson is an American politician and journalist serving as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 2nd congressional district. She has served in the House since 2021, representing a northeastern district including Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and Dubuque.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the State of Iowa, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. These were the first congressional elections held in Iowa after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Adrian Jeremy Dickey is an American politician and a senator for the state of Iowa for District 44.
Christina Bohannan is an American politician, law professor, and former engineer who served as the Iowa State Representative for the 85th district from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected in 2020, succeeding Vicki Lensing, who served ten terms in the Iowa House of Representatives.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the State of Iowa, one from all four of the state's congressional districts. The elections will coincide with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The primary elections took place on June 4, 2024.