CEDAR RAPIDS – During the second general election debate in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, state Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Ottumwa, underscored that Congress needs her experience as a physician and former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and get the U.S. economy back on track.
“Due to the COVID pandemic and its lasting impacts, I think Iowans are looking for a candidate that will be a champion for healthcare in Congress,” Miller-Meeks said following the debate hosted by KCRG and The Cedar Rapids Gazette. “Health care is on the ballot in November, and there has never been a better time to elect a doctor and public health official to Congress than right now in 2020.”
The hour-long debate moderated by Gazette reporter James Lynch and KCRG evening anchor Chris Earl covered topics ranging from Iowa agriculture to COVID-19 and its economic and public health impacts.
“Senator Miller-Meeks showed that she understands our healthcare system’s problems and has a unique skill set she can bring to Washington,” campaign manager Austin Harris said. “Issues like combatting COVID and reforming our healthcare system are extraordinarily complex, and we need a leader with a lifetime of medical experience to help solve these public health challenges. Dr. Miller-Meeks has proven she has the expertise to lead us through this pandemic, pursue meaningful health care reform, and protect those with pre-existing conditions.”
Miller-Meeks is an ophthalmologist and a 24-year U.S. Army veteran representing Senate District 41 in the Iowa Senate, which includes Davis, Jefferson, Van Buren, and Wapello counties. She is seeking the seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, a seven-term Democratic congressman. After 14 years of Democrat control, Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District is now rated as a “toss-up,” according to national political forecasters. Of the 31 congressional districts won by Trump and held by Democrats, Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District is the only open seat.
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