- Three very conservative also-rans might have been the deciding factor, splitting the most conservative vote.
- Note Miller-Meeks focus now as nominee
- Schilling sends unifying concession message
State Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa won the Republican nomination for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday night. In November, she will face Democrat Rita Hart in the general election.
Miller Meeks received 22,682 votes or 48% of the vote. In the primary, she faced Bobby Schilling of Le Claire who received 17,356 votes (36% of the vote), Steven Everly of Knoxville who received 2,769 votes (6%), Rick Phillips of Pella who received 2,413 votes (5%) and Tim Borchardt of Iowa City who received 2,337 votes (5%).
“Voters want to know someone is going to fight for them, never quit on them and be their voice in D.C.,” Miller-Meeks told the Press-Citizen.
Miller-Meeks is an ophthalmologist who once directed the Iowa Department of Public Health. She served for 24 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a colonel. In 2018, she won the Iowa Senate District 41 seat, which includes Ottumwa, Fairfield, Bloomfield and Keosauqua.
The U.S. House seat is currently held by Democrat Rep. Dave Loebsack of Iowa City, who was first elected in 2006. He announced in April 2019 he would not run again.
The Republican primary was marked by a back-and-forth volley as Miller-Meeks and Bobby Schilling of Le Claire fought it out for who was the most anti-abortion candidate and who was the biggest supporter of President Donald Trump. In a press conference before the results were counted, Miller-Meeks said that while it was a tough primary, it makes her a better candidate, “battle-tested.”
Pushing past the primary, she said she is focused on a slate of issues: healthcare affordability, employability skills, infrastructure funding and policies that she said would “bring our country together, particularly given recent events.”
Miller-Meeks won the Republican nomination for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District three times before. She ran unsuccessfully to unseat Loebsack in 2008, 2010 and 2014.
“I just called Mariannette Miller-Meeks to congratulate her on her victory. I am proud of the campaign we ran. Tonight we came up short. That’s okay. I look forward to supporting both Donald Trump and Miller-Meeks in the fall,” Schilling said in a statement.
Schilling opened Saint Giuseppe’s Heavenly Pizza in Moline, Illinois in 1996. In 2010, he was elected to Illinois 17th Congressional District. In 2012, Democrat Cheri Bustos unseated Schilling and won a rematch with him in 2014. Schilling has lived in Le Claire since 2016.
He said that the campaign got Miller-Meeks to “embrace a more pro-life position,” endorsing among other things a fetal heartbeat bill.
“That’s a win,” he said.
While the Republican race for IA-02 was hotly contested, Democrats quickly consolidated around Rita Hart of Wheatland. Hart was an English teacher for twenty years. In 2012, she was elected to Iowa Senate District 49 which includes Clinton, Dewitt and Le Claire. In 2018, Hart ran on Fred Hubble’s unsuccessful ticket as lieutenant governor.
“We’re facing some of the most challenging times our country has ever experienced. I am heartbroken by the way hatred, racism, and violence are tearing our country apart. As a lifelong Iowan, farmer and teacher, I have seen the challenges that our communities are facing. Now more than ever, we need leadership that brings people together,” Hart said in a statement. “Whether it is health care, economic development, justice, public safety, or education, I will always work to put Iowans ahead of politics and provide real solutions to our toughest problems.”
In addition to a long list of endorsements, Hart has raised the most of any candidate in the race, Democrat or Republican. She ended primary election night with $1 million on hand.
IA-02’s major cities include Davenport, Iowa City, Muscatine, Clinton, Burlington, Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Oskaloosa, Bettendorf, Newton, and Pella.
Scott County results Republican primary:
SUMMARY REPORT UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Run Date:06/02/20 All Precincts Reporting
RUN TIME:10:15 PM STATISTICS
VOTES PERCENT
PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 63) . . . . . 63 100.00
REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL . . . . . 127,763
BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL. . . . . . . 24,259
BALLOTS CAST - Democratic Party . . . 14,703 60.61
BALLOTS CAST - Republican Party . . . 9,556 39.39
BALLOTS CAST - NONPARTISAN. . . . . 0
BALLOTS CAST - BLANK. . . . . . . 29 .12
VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL . . . . . . 18.99
VOTER TURNOUT - BLANK . . . . . . .02
United States Senator REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 63 OF 63 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Joni Ernst . . . . . . . . . . 9,082 98.87
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 104 1.13
Total . . . . . . . . . 9,186
United States Rep District 2
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 63 OF 63 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Bobby Schilling . . . . . . . . 4,743 53.08
Mariannette Miller-Meeks . . . . . 3,321 37.16
Tim Borchardt . . . . . . . . . 318 3.56
Steven Everly . . . . . . . . . 300 3.36
Rick Phillips . . . . . . . . . 231 2.59
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 23 .26
Total . . . . . . . . . 8,936
State Senator District 46
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 13 OF 13 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Mark S. Lofgren . . . . . . . . 1,780 99.39
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 11 .61
Total . . . . . . . . . 1,791
State Representative District 89
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 10 OF 10 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Sean Hanley. . . . . . . . . . 1,206 99.18
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 10 .82
Total . . . . . . . . . 1,216
State Representative District 90
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 10 OF 10 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 52 100.00
Total . . . . . . . . . 52
State Representative District 92
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 13 OF 13 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Ross C. Paustian . . . . . . . . 1,777 99.27
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 13 .73
Total . . . . . . . . . 1,790
State Representative District 93
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 10 OF 10 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Mike Vondran . . . . . . . . . 1,632 99.03
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 16 .97
Total . . . . . . . . . 1,648
State Representative District 94
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 12 OF 12 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Gary M. Mohr . . . . . . . . . 2,499 99.56
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 11 .44
Total . . . . . . . . . 2,510
State Representative District 97
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 8 OF 8 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Norlin Mommsen. . . . . . . . . 960 99.69
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 3 .31
Total . . . . . . . . . 963
County Board of Supervisors
(VOTE FOR) 2
(WITH 63 OF 63 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Ken Beck. . . . . . . . . . . 7,715 50.23
Tony G. Knobbe. . . . . . . . . 7,524 48.98
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 121 .79
Total . . . . . . . . . 15,360
County Auditor
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 63 OF 63 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 590 100.00
Total . . . . . . . . . 590
County Sheriff
(VOTE FOR) 1
(WITH 63 OF 63 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Tim Lane. . . . . . . . . . . 8,769 99.44
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 49 .56
Total . . . . . . . . . 8,818
