State Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Ottumwa, announced on Tuesday morning that she will seek the Republican nomination in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
She released a video announcing her campaign and introducing herself to voters in the district.
Despite challenges Iowans may have faced “they have never given up on the future that they have envisioned for themselves or their family,” Miller-Meeks said. “That’s why I am running for Congress to relentlessly fight for you, your future, and the future of the American dream.”
“Liberal Democrats have given up on you and your dream because they believe Washington, D.C. is the only place where problems can be solved, but I will fight for common sense solutions to accessible, affordable health care that gives you choice, for workforce training and apprenticeships that will prepare our workforce for the 21st century, a growing economy that increases take-home pay, and a government that is accountable and can be trusted,” she said.
“My campaign is about securing your future, it’s about never quitting on your vision of the American dream, it’s about never quitting on the promise that Iowans can achieve so much more than D.C. politicians,” Miller-Meeks added.
Miller-Meeks, 64, represents Iowa Senate District 41 and chairs the Human Resources Committee and vice-chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee. She also serves on the Appropriations, Commerce, and State Government Committees, as well as, the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee. She was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2018 after a hotly contested election against the Democratic nominee, Mary Stewart.
Miller-Meeks, an ophthalmologist, served 24 years in the United States Army as both a nurse and physician. She served as director of the Iowa Department of Public Health from 2011 to 2014 under former Gov. Terry Branstad. She was also the first woman on faculty at the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and the first female president of the Iowa Medical Society. She and her husband, Curt have two grown children, Jonathon and Taylor.
Miller-Meeks ran unsuccessfully for Congress three times against outgoing Democratic U.S Rep. Dave Loebsack in 2008, 2010, and 2014. She faces former U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, 55, in the Republican primary who represented Illinois’ 17th Congressional District from 2011 to 2013. He built a house and moved his family to Leclaire, Iowa in 2016.
