DAVENPORT – In the third and final 2nd Congressional District debate, Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Ottumwa, focused on her resume as a doctor, veteran, and public health official, and called out her opponent for voting for legislation that created a loophole to deny insurance coverage to Iowans with pre-existing conditions.
“I am running for Congress to ensure the health safety of all Iowans,” Miller-Meeks said following the Davenport debate. “As a doctor, I will work for the 2nd district in the same way I have provided care to my patients for decades. I will fight every day to protect the health and well-being of Iowans, to protect people with pre-existing conditions and I will work to find solutions to combat COVID-19 and curb future pandemics.”
The hour-long debate moderated by Quad City Times Des Moines bureau chief Erin Murphy and KWQC-TV anchor Morgan Ottier covered topics ranging from education amid the COVID pandemic, race relations, international trade, the economy, and Iowa agriculture.
“Dr. Miller-Meeks’ decades of experience in health care and the military shined through tonight,” said campaign manager Austin Harris. “She drew a clear line in the sand between her and her opponent. Senator Miller-Meeks understands what it will take to safely reopen Iowa’s economy while protecting the health and well-being of Iowans. Tonight proved that Dr. Miller-Meeks and her brand of leadership are exactly what we need in Congress to move Iowa and our nation forward.”
Harris added, “Sadly, Rita Hart repeated her desperate, misleading and disproven claim that Dr. Miller-Meeks would repeal the Affordable Care Act. Dr. Miller-Meeks has clearly stated time and again that she favors reforming the ACA to ensure that health is portable, accessible and affordable. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is focused on solutions that work for Iowans. Rita Hart’s first vote as a member of Congress would be to install Nancy Pelosi as House speaker, and that will only benefit the coastal elites.”
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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