DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks successfully secured her reelection on Wednesday, as a recount confirmed her slim victory, enabling her party to strengthen its narrow majority in the U.S. House while maintaining control over Iowa’s four congressional seats.
In this election, Miller-Meeks faced Democrat Christina Bohannan in a follow-up contest to their 2022 match, where she triumphed by a margin of 7 percentage points. The 2023 race was markedly closer, with Miller-Meeks finishing ahead by less than one percentage point, which equated to fewer than 1,000 votes.
As the representative for Iowa’s 1st District, Miller-Meeks serves the eastern region of the state, including Johnson County, the location of the University of Iowa in Iowa City. She initially entered Congress representing the 2nd District, winning in 2020 against Democrat Rita Hart by an astonishingly small margin of just six votes.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller-Meeks at 4:02 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Although she had previously declared victory, the AP refrained from making an announcement earlier due to the close margin, which warranted a revisit of the results.
Following the election, Bohannan’s campaign officially requested a recount on November 14, as allowed for any candidate. They stated that pursuing the recount was essential to ensure “that every voter is heard,” expressing confidence in the process to yield trustworthy results regardless of the eventual outcome.
A recount was to be conducted across all 20 counties within the district, and since the vote margin fell below the one percent threshold, the state would cover the related expenses rather than the candidate.
Miller-Meeks’ campaign criticized Bohannan and the Democrats, labeling them as “election deniers” and claiming that her opponent was misusing public funds with the recount effort. The campaign asserted in a November 14 statement that this action was merely a tactic to delay and undermine the voters’ decision, adding, “A recount won’t meaningfully change the outcome of this race as the congresswoman’s lead is mathematically impossible to overcome.”
In the broader context, Republican incumbents maintained control of Iowa’s other three congressional districts, solidifying the party’s dominance in the state’s entire congressional representation. This electoral outcome also followed a historical sweep in 2022, marking the first instance in thirty years where Iowa had an all-Republican delegation, reflecting a significant rightward political shift in the state following former President Barack Obama’s victories in 2008 and 2012.
Obama had previously secured strong backing from the eastern counties along the Mississippi River, regions that have since predominantly supported Trump and contributed to bolstering Miller-Meeks in her current district.
Iowa saw two highly competitive congressional races in 2023 — the 1st and 3rd Districts — resulting in millions of dollars in advertising investments from national campaign committees of both major parties. Republican Zach Nunn managed to fend off a challenge from Democrat Lanon Baccam in the 3rd District, which encompasses much of the Des Moines metropolitan area.
In addition, Republican incumbents Ashley Hinson in the 2nd District and Randy Feenstra in the 4th District both won decisively. Hinson defeated her Democratic opponent Sarah Corkery, while Feenstra emerged victorious over Democrat Ryan Melton.