Democrat Christina Bohannan will try once more to seek election in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District in 2026, potentially setting the stage for a highly competitive third rematch between her and Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
After a narrow 2024 loss against the incumbent, the 53-year-old University of Iowa law professor and former state representative announced Tuesday, June 17, that she is running for the third time since 2022 to unseat Miller-Meeks, 69. It is expected to be one of the most closely contested congressional races in the U.S.
“Mariannette Miller-Meeks has had three terms in Congress — three chances to do right by the people of Iowa,” Bohannan said in a statement. “Instead, she has taken over $4 million from corporate special interests and done nothing but vote their way. And she has put partisan politics over Iowans again and again. From cutting Medicaid, to siding with DOGE’s devastating cuts to Social Security, to enabling unelected, unaccountable billionaires like Elon Musk — Miller-Meeks has forgotten about us. It’s time someone put Iowa first.”
Bohannan focused her 2024 campaign on attacking Miller-Meeks’ record on reproductive rights, an issue that was especially salient for some voters since Iowa’s new six-week abortion ban took effect in 2024. It also was the first presidential election since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, leaving abortion rights to states to decide.
She also has called for improving public schools, investing in rural infrastructure and reducing costs by taking on corporate price gouging and ensuring wealthy Americans “pay their fair share” in taxes.
More: Where Miller-Meeks, Bohannan stand on key issues, from abortion to the border to inflation
Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race shaping up to be one of the nation’s most competitive
The 1st District encompasses southeastern Iowa, including Iowa City and Davenport, and stretches into Marion, Warren and Jasper counties in south-central Iowa.
It is one of 35 races the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of House Democrats, is targeting to sway control of Congress. Iowa’s 2nd and 3rd District races, where Republican Reps. Ashley Hinson and Zach Nunn hold office, also are among the targets.
This is a more expansive list than at the start of the 2024 cycle, which DCCC officials said reflects eroding public support for House Republicans as they advance Medicaid cuts, “make everything more expensive” after campaigning to lower costs and show a “refusal to stand up to (President) Donald Trump.”
Political analysts with the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections categorize the 1st District race as a “tossup,” meaning either party has a good shot at nabbing the seat.
According to data from the Secretary of State, 30% of active voters in Iowa’s 1st District are registered as Democrats, 36% are registered as Republicans and 34% are registered as “no party” or other.
Who else is running for the 1st Congressional District seat?
Miller-Meeks wrote Tuesday in a post on X, “I see some comments from liberals hoping I am not running for re-election. They should hope for something else. My campaign is going strong and I look forward to winning next November to keep Iowa winning in Congress.”
A former ophthalmologist and Army veteran who has an official address in Davenport but maintains a residence in Ottumwa, Miller-Meeks was first elected in 2020 on her third try, prevailing over Democrat Rita Hart by just six votes in what was then the state’s 2nd Congressional District.
Miller-Meeks survived a recount to win a third two-year term to the seat in 2024 by 798 votes, a far slimmer margin than when she bested Bohannan by more than 20,000 votes in 2022.
The Republican leads the pack of U.S. House incumbents in fundraising, bringing in more than $1 million during the first quarter, according to the most recent reports available.
Miller-Meeks’ third-term priorities have included working to reauthorize Trump’s signature tax cuts enacted in 2017, lower prescription drug prices, shield farmland from Chinese ownership and “protect women’s sports,” referring to efforts to keep transgender women and girls from competing in female sports.
Both Bohannan and Miller-Meeks have to prevail in their parties’ June 2026 primaries before potentially facing another rematch.
Travis Terrell, a University of Iowa Health Care employee from Tiffin, was the first Democrat to launch a 2026 bid for the 1st District. Former state lawmaker Bob Krause, of Burlington, also is vying for the Democratic nomination.
And Republican David Pautsch, has launched a primary campaign against Miller-Meeks. He unsuccessfully challenged her in 2024 for the 1st District GOP nomination.
“When will Christina learn? Iowans have rejected her twice already, and now she has to run to the left to beat radical Bob Krause and Bernie-bro Travis Terrell in the primary,” Emily Tuttle, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. “There’s no doubt whoever comes out of this liberal rat race will be sent packing when they re-elect America First fighter Mariannette Miller-Meeks this fall.”
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Democrat Christina Bohannan to run again in Iowa’s 1st District