By David Morgan
WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks won renomination in Iowa’s first congressional district on Tuesday, positioning the incumbent congresswoman for her third general election contest against Democrat Christina Bohannan.
Miller-Meeks, a 70-year-old physician and three-term House Republican, defeated MAGA Republican challenger David Pautsch, according to U.S. media reports. Democrat Bohannan overcame Travis Terrell to clinch her party’s nomination, media projected.
Miller-Meeks is one of the most vulnerable House Republicans at a time when high prices for gasoline and other consumer products and an unpopular war against Iran have sent President Donald Trump’s approval ratings lower, even among Republicans.
Bohannan, a 54-year-old University of Iowa law professor and former state representative, has run unsuccessfully twice against Miller-Meeks. In 2024, she lost to the incumbent by only about 800 votes. Her campaign is focused on affordability, expanding healthcare coverage and reversing Medicaid cuts from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Miller-Meeks and Bohannan will square off in November in a contest that independent analysts have rated a toss-up. Each candidate has more than $4 million in cash on hand, according to the latest documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
