Christina Bohannan makes third run for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District

History shows that just because a candidate makes multiple attempts to win an election doesn’t mean they can’t eventually pull through.

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks lost a number of times to Dave Loebsack before winning Iowa’s 1st Congressional District seat in a close 2020 election. Now her past Democratic challenger, Christina Bohannan, is attempting the same thing for the 2026 election cycle, provided she is the favorite in the primary.

On June 17, Bohannan announced her campaign to take on Miller-Meeks once again. In a press release, her campaign said Bohannan nearly defeated Miller-Meeks in 2024 — less than 800 votes decided the election — and that the Democrat “outworked, outraised and outmatched her.”

Bohannan said, “Mariannette Miller-Meeks has had three terms in Congress – three chances to do right by the people of Iowa. 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 billions of dollars from Medicaid in the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill, to siding with DOGE’s cuts to Social Security and enabling unelected, unaccountable billionaires like Elon Musk, Bohannan said the Republican congresswoman has forgotten about her constituents.

“It’s time someone put Iowa first,” Bohannan said.

Bohannan went on to say Miller-Meeks needs to explain “why she keeps putting Washington special interests first.” The Democratic challenger claimed Miller-Meeks supported Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, repeatedly voted for cost-increasing tariffs and is a member of the DOGE Caucus.

Bohannan previously worked as an engineer and taught at the University of Iowa College of Law for 20 years. She also worked as an elected legislator for the Iowa House, defeating a 20-year incumbent in District 85. Bohannan is running for Congress because she believes in a government that works for the people.

In May, another Democrat announced he would be running for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. Bob Krause, a former legislator who also tried running for U.S. Senate, announced his campaign with the slogan “Flip The House With Krause.” Krause said Miller-Meeks votes “like Trump’s rubber stamp.”

Travis Terrell, a Democrat from Johnson County, also announced his bid for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race. His campaign page on Facebook notes he is a working-class, New Deal Democrat fighting for healthcare, fair wages and a government that serves other working-class people and not billionaires.

In addition to Miller-Meeks likely running for the seat, fellow Republican and former primary challenger David Pautsch announced in February that he would also be running for the seat. Pautsch touts himself as a MAGA Republican. He has been critical of Miller-Meeks, saying she is not conservative enough.