Miller-Meeks Launches Second TV Ad in Iowa 2nd Congressional District Race

DAVENPORT – Republican congressional candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks released her second TV ad on Tuesday, calling out opponent Rita Hart for playing politics with her 2018 vote against funding to help Iowa combat foreign viruses. 

Watch:

The transcript of the 30-second ad, which will air districtwide, reads: 

Narrator: “Liberal politicians in Washington did nothing to protect us from the pandemic.  While they bickered, lives were lost, jobs destroyed.  Washington Democrats played politics, so did Rita Hart. Democrats refused to hold China accountable, did nothing to stop viruses from Asia, just like Rita Hart. But Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks took COVID seriously.  Even warned us it was coming.” 

Miller-Meeks: “We can fight this virus, better prepare for the next one and get Iowa safely back to work.” 

Miller-Meeks is an ophthalmologist and a 24-year U.S. Army veteran who represents Iowa Senate District 41, which includes Davis, Jefferson, Van Buren and Wapello counties. She is seeking the seat vacated by Rep. Dave Loebsack, a seven-term Democratic congressman. After 14 years of Democrat control, a recent Monmouth University Polling Institute indicated Miller-Meeks had a three-point lead on Hart.  Among the 31 Democrat-controlled House districts won by President Trump in 2016, Iowa’s 2^nd District is the only open seat in the country. 

“This new ad is a powerful reminder of the stark contrast between Senator Miller-Meeks’ take-charge approach to protect Iowans and her opponent’s passivity and partisanship,” campaign manager Austin Harris said. “As director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, Senator Miller-Meeks led the effort to prepare for potential pandemics. In 2013, in an interview with WHO-TV, she warned Iowans about the threat of foreign viruses. Rita Hart goes along with what her party leadership wants. That approach puts Iowans at risk and there’s no reason to believe she’ll be any different if it comes to taking orders from Nancy Pelosi. Voters deserve to know that her ill-advised vote and her legacy as a state senator left Iowans vulnerable to foreign viruses.”