Mariannette Miller-Meeks Looks To Become Certified 2nd Congressional Winner

Mahaska County, Iowa – Nearly a month removed from the general election, the closest race for a congressional seat may be nearing the end.

As it stands, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks is leading Democrat Rita Hart for the 2nd Congressional District by a razor slim six votes.

Miller-Meeks issued a statement on Saturday saying, “With the Clinton County recount finished this afternoon, all 24 counties have counted, recounted and in some cases, recounted again, the results of Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank county auditors, their staffs and the volunteers who worked so hard these past few weeks to conduct the recount. They personify the words ‘public servant’ and ‘engaged citizenship.’”

“While the race is extraordinarily close, I am proud to have won this contest and look forward to being certified as the winner by the state’s Executive Council on Monday. It is the honor of a lifetime to be elected to serve the people of eastern and southern Iowa.”

Hart’s campaign sent out a statement on Saturday as well. “Unfortunately, as this process continues, the Miller-Meeks campaign has sought to keep legitimate votes from being counted — pushing to disqualify and limit the number of Iowans whose votes are counted.”

Hart’s campaign looks to Monday for their next step, “We have said from the beginning of this recount process that the most important thing is that Iowans’ voices are heard and their votes are counted fairly. Moreover, under Iowa law, the recount was limited to the universe of ballots initially counted after Election Day. We will closely review what the county and state boards do on Monday with an eye toward making sure all Iowa voices are fully and fairly heard.”

Miller-Meeks will replace outgoing incumbent Democrat Dave Loebsack, who has served the district since defeating 15-term incumbent, Republican Jim Leach, in 2006.