CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – In three weeks, Iowans will head to the polls for the 2024 Presidential Election. KCRG-TV9 is sitting down with each candidate before election day to give voters a better idea of who is on the ballot.
Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks is running for US House District 1, which includes Iowa City and Davenport. Her race is a rematch of 2022 against Christina Bohanan. She won by more than 20,000 votes, but polls show this race being much closer.
“This is a swing district, it’s always going to be a tough competitive district, and it’s a presidential year,” said Rep. Miller-Meeks. “In 2022, it was not a presidential year, in 2020, when it was a presidential year, it was a much tighter race. I was expecting to see a much tighter race.”
Miller-Meeks said her campaign was focused on lowering interest rates.
“The prices people are paying at the grocery store and for prescription drugs as we talked about earlier, those prices are still high. It’s a cumulative effect so people are paying about 21 percent more. They are also paying more in rent; they’re also paying higher interest rates if they want to get a loan to buy a house, buy a car, or a loan to start a small business. So, all those costs are higher, and families are struggling.”
She also said she wants to lower prescription drug prices and create a commission to address long-term debt.
She also said she wanted to make the US more energy-independent.
“It’s critically important that it’s affordable, we have enough energy, that we don’t have brownouts like California does, and the democratic policies that have led to not enough energy and electricity for California. It must be affordable, abundant, reliable and secure.”
With the Supreme Court overturning Roe versus Wade and leaving abortion access to the states. It was a topic Miller-Meeks clarified after co-sponsoring the “Life at Conception Act” in 2021.
“I’m pro-life with the exemptions of rape, incest, and life of the mother,” she said. Dobbs’ decision has left that decision up to the states. So, the Democrats and my opponent Bohanan would put into place abortion up until the time of birth.”
With October 7th marking one year since Hamas attacked Israel, this is where Miller-Meeks stands on America’s involvement in the ongoing war.
“The United States has had a long-standing alley in Israel as a source of democracy, entrepreneurship, and economic growth in the Middle East,” said Rep. Miller-Meeks.
Miller-Meeks has doubled down on her belief that FEMA isn’t able to meet the needs of hurricane survivors because it’s supporting people in the US who are seeking asylum.
“What needs to be done is looking at our priorities,” she said. “What are our priorities? If we are running out of money, shouldn’t that money be reallocated towards providing emergency services for people, especially when we have another hurricane coming in just a few days?”
FEMA, President Biden, and even Republican leaders of hurricane-impacted regions said falsehoods like this are hurting recovery efforts. But, Miller-Meeks said FEMA shouldn’t be involved in housing people in the country without documentation. Immigration is an issue she feels defines why Iowans should vote for her on November 5th.
“I have worked very diligently in this district, have been accessible and available to individuals, meeting elected representatives throughout all 20 of these counties to make sure that their economic needs have been met,” she said.
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