Mariannette Miller-Meeks | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Loebsack |
| Constituency | 2nd district (2021–2023) 1st district (2023–present) |
| Member of theIowa Senate from the41st district | |
| In office January 14, 2019 – January 2, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Chelgren |
| Succeeded by | Adrian Dickey |
| Director of theIowa Department of Public Health | |
| In office January 15, 2011 – January 9, 2014 | |
| Governor | Terry Branstad |
| Preceded by | Tom Newton |
| Succeeded by | Gerd Clabaugh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mariannette Jane Miller (1955-09-06)September 6, 1955 (age 70) Herlong, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Texas Christian University (BSN) University of Southern California (MS) University of Texas, San Antonio (MD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 1974–1982 (active) 1983-2000 (reserve)[1] |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | Army Medical Department |
Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (née: Miller ; born September 6, 1955) is an American physician and politician who has served as aU.S. representative fromIowa since 2021. A member of theRepublican Party, she represents the state's1st congressional district. Her district, numbered as the2nd district in her first term, includes most of Iowa's southeastern quadrant, includingDavenport,Bettendorf,Burlington, andIowa City. Miller-Meeks previously served as the Iowa state senator from the41st district from 2019 to 2021.
Miller-Meeks ran three unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. House againstDave Loebsack. When Loebsack retired in 2020, sheran again and defeatedRita Hart by a margin of six votes. She was reelected in 2022 by a margin of nearly seven percentage points, and won a third term in a very close race in 2024.
Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks[2] was born inHerlong, California[3] on September 6, 1955.[4]
A first-generation college student, Miller-Meeks earned aBachelor of Science in nursing fromTexas Christian University in 1976, aMaster of Science in education from theUniversity of Southern California in 1980, and aDoctor of Medicine fromUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1986.[5][6]
Miller-Meeks enlisted in theUnited States Army at the age of 18, in 1974, serving as a nurse until 1982. Starting in 1983, she became a member of theUnited States Army Reserve and retired at the rank oflieutenant colonel in 2000.[1]
Miller-Meeks operated a private ophthalmology practice inOttumwa, Iowa, until 2008.[7] She served as the first female president of the Iowa Medical Society.[7] She was the first woman on the faculty of theUniversity of Iowa's department of ophthalmology and visual sciences, and worked as a representative from Iowa to theAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology.[5]
In 2010, Republican GovernorTerry Branstad appointed Miller-Meeks director of theIowa Department of Public Health which she led until 2013; she resigned in 2014 to run for Congress.[5][8]
WhenMark Chelgren announced he was not running for reelection, Miller-Meeks ran forIowa Senate, District 41 in 2018, defeatingDemocratic nominee Mary Stewart.[9] Miller-Meeks served in the Iowa Senate from 2019 to 2020.[4]
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Miller-Meeks was theRepublican nominee forIowa's 2nd congressional district in 2008, 2010, and 2014, losing toDave Loebsack in all three races.[10]
In her 2014 campaign, Miller-Meeks opposed theAffordable Care Act (Obamacare).[3] She also stated her opposition to legalized abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or harm to the mother.[3] She opposed same-sex marriage.[3] She criticized EPA regulation of waterways and coal plants, saying it creates uncertainty for farmers.[3]
Miller-Meeks ran to represent Iowa's 2nd congressional district again in2020, following Loebsack's retirement.[11] She won the June 2 Republican primary election, defeating former Illinois CongressmanBobby Schilling.[10]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Miller-Meeks said she "practices social distancing, wears a mask in public and sanitizes her hands" but does not support face mask mandates.[12]
Miller-Meeks faced the Democratic nominee, former state SenatorRita Hart, in the November general election.[10] After Loebsack announced his retirement, journalists and election forecasters labeled the2nd congressional district aswing district.
The initial count in the election showed Miller-Meeks with a 47 vote victory. Hart asked for a recount which shrunk the lead to just 6 votes, which was certified by the State Canvassing Board.[13] The Iowa Board of Canvass certified the result.[14][15]
Hart chose not to contest the results in the courts because there was insufficient time. The election was not certified until November 30th and election challenges in Iowa had to be completed by Dec. 8th.[16][15]
Hart contested the certified result through a petition with theCommittee on House Administration under the 1969Federal Contested Elections Act, which sets forth procedures for contesting state election results in the House under the Constitution.[16][17] In her petition, Hart contended that 22 legally cast votes were not counted.[18] Had they been counted, per her petition, she would have won the race by nine votes.[19][20]
House SpeakerNancy Pelosi provisionally seated Miller-Meeks on January 3, 2021, pending adjudication of Hart's petition.[19][21] The Committee on House Administration reviewed Hart's petition, and Pelosi claimed the House had the authority to expel Miller-Meeks,[22][23] but on March 31, Hart withdrew her challenge.[24]
After redistricting, Miller-Meeks' district was renumbered as the1st district, effective with the2022 elections.[25] Miller-Meeks defeated Democratic state RepresentativeChristina Bohannan in the November 2022 general election by 53% to 47%.[26]
In 2024, Miller-Meeks again faced off against Christina Bohannan. The race was extremely close, with Miller-Meeks ahead by 801 votes after the initial count.[27][28] A recount confirmed that Miller-Meeks had been elected to a third term by 799 votes.[29]
Miller-Meeks raised over $1 million in the first quarter of 2025. This was the most money raised by any U.S. House incumbent during this time period. In the 2026 election, Miller-Meeks is facing a primary challenge from David Pautsch, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in Iowa's 1st District in 2024.[30] Pautsch is running to the right of Miller-Meeks.[31]
On June 17, 2025, Christina Bohannan announced that she would run for a third time.[32]
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Miller-Meeks, along with all other Senate and House Republicans, voted against theAmerican Rescue Plan Act of 2021.[33]
On May 19, 2021, Miller-Meeks was among 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish theJanuary 6 commission meant to investigate thestorming of the U.S. Capitol.[34]
Following the November 2024 elections, Miller-Meeks ran in the internalHouse Republican Conference elections for secretary (the sixth-highest ranking post in the conference), but was defeated byErin Houchin of Indiana.[35]
In April 2025, Miller-Meeks urged lawmakers to act to extend a tax break that benefits small businesses. The Qualified Business Income deduction allows small business owners to deduct up to 20% of their income. It is slated to expire on December 31, 2025.[36]
In 2020, Miller-Meeks said that an infrastructure bill would be her main priority, suggesting afuel tax increase to pay for it.[37]
On July 21, 2021, Miller-Meeks andDeborah Ross co-sponsored the America's CHILDREN Act.[38] The bill would prevent the children of long-term visa holders who came to the U.S. legally with their parents from having their visas expire the day they turn 21. If they have maintained legal status in the U.S. for 10 years and graduated from an institution of higher education, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency.[38]
On July 19, 2022, Miller-Meeks was among 47 Republican representatives who voted for theRespect for Marriage Act, a bill which codified the right tosame-sex marriage in federal law.[39]
In 2022, Meeks was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[40][41]
For the118th Congress (2020-2023):[42]
Miller-Meeks is married to Curt Meeks and has two children.[46] She is aRoman Catholic.[3]
In 2022, after her longtime home inOttumwa had been drawn out of the district in the 2020 round of redistricting, Miller-Meeks changed her voter registration to a house inLeClaire, nearDavenport, owned by state senatorChris Cournoyer. In 2023, she received a homestead credit for her house in Ottumwa, and listed it as her residence both on congressional disclosure reports and campaign forms. Before the 2024 primary, Miller-Meeks rented an apartment in Davenport and registered to vote there. Members of the House are only constitutionally required to live in the state they represent, while Iowa law requires voters to register and vote in the county where they primarily reside. Two months before the 2024 general election, an Iowa citizen filed a complaint with theOffice of Congressional Ethics, arguing that Miller-Meeks had violated state law by registering inScott County, home to Davenport, rather than inWapello County, home to Ottumwa.[47] In a 2024 election debate, Miller-Meeks defended questions about her residency, saying she had been honest when she said she would not sell her Wapello County property, saying "In Iowa, land is valuable and we hold onto it, so I have a property there." She said she divides her time between an apartment in Washington, D.C., an apartment in Davenport, and her property in Ottumwa.[48] In November 2024, an absentee and special precinct board in Scott County accepted Miller-Meeks' ballot cast in the 2024 election, rejecting the residency challenge.[49]
Miller-Meeks organized a physician recruitment and retention organization to help bring physicians to southeast Iowa and has served as a court-appointed special advocate volunteer for children.[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 175,218 | 57.19 | |
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 118,778 | 38.77 | |
| Green | Wendy Barth | 6,664 | 2.18 | |
| Independent | Brian White | 5,437 | 1.78 | |
| No party | Others | 261 | 0.09 | |
| Total votes | 306,358 | 100.00 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack(incumbent) | 115,839 | 50.99 | |
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 104,319 | 45.92 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Joseph Sicard | 4,356 | 1.92 | |
| Constitution | Jon Tack | 2,463 | 1.08 | |
| No party | Others | 198 | 0.09 | |
| Total votes | 227,175 | 100.00 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack(incumbent) | 143,431 | 52.48 | |
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 129,455 | 47.36 | |
| Write-ins | 443 | 0.16 | ||
| Total votes | 273,329 | 100 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 1,706 | 85.39 | |
| Republican | Daniel Cesar | 279 | 13.96 | |
| Write-ins | 13 | 0.65 | ||
| Total votes | 2,134 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 11,451 | 51.77 | |
| Democratic | Mary Stewart | 10,632 | 48.07 | |
| Write-ins | 36 | 0.16 | ||
| Total votes | 22,119 | 100 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 196,964 | 49.912 | |
| Democratic | Rita Hart | 196,958 | 49.910 | |
| Write-ins | 703 | 0.178 | ||
| Total votes | 394,625 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks (incumbent) | 160,441 | 53.3 | |
| Democratic | Christina Bohannan | 140,453 | 46.6 | |
| Write-ins | 256 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 301,150 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks (incumbent) | 206,955 | 49.98 | ||
| Democratic | Christina Bohannan | 206,156 | 49.79 | ||
| Write-in | 967 | 0.23 | |||
| Total votes | 414,078 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 2nd congressional district 2021–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 1st congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 271st | Succeeded by |
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
