After a recount, Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. candidate Marianette Miller-Meeks (fourth from left), took a House seat for the Republicans with a six-vote lead over her Democratic opponent.
Democratic candidate Rita Hart dropped her challenge against the outcome of her race in Iowa’s House district, with Iowa Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks ultimately winning.
Hart announced on Wednesday (March 31) that she will withdraw her challenge to her loss in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, to the House Administration Committee. Some Democratic lawmakers have also said in recent days that House leaders should not try to overturn state election results.
“After many conversations with people I trust about the future of this campaign, I have decided to withdraw the challenge I launched in the House Committee on Administration (HCA),” Hart said in a statement. “Throughout the election process since Election Day, my mission has been to ensure that the voices of law-abiding Iowans are not silenced. It saddens me that some Iowans’ votes were not counted through no fault of their own. The work to make sure this doesn’t happen again will continue after this campaign is over.”
Earlier, House Republican leaders Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, and Miller-Meeks denounced House Democrats’ attempts to work to overturn the election results during a stop in Iowa.
“Democrats want to overturn the results of the election after the votes have been counted, recounted and the results certified by the bipartisan Elections Commission,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “It’s Time to move forward. I’ve worked with Congresswomen, we’ve been to the border and witnessed the crisis.”
In response, Miller-Meeks said, “If six votes are not enough to win an election, then why should six members of a commission be able to overturn the election …… No one should have to break state law to get the election results they want.”
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) also wrote a letter to House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) of California and called on her to “reject any attempt to overturn the will of Iowa voters.
Pate also said, “Hart’s campaign agreed to the recount process and obtained recount results in all 24 counties. The state’s bipartisan canvassing board unanimously accepted the results and officially certified the election results.” He noted that in the end, Miller-Meeks defeated her opponent by six votes.
Pett wrote, “Ms. Hart said the reason she said Iowans were not given a voice in the process was because Iowa law did not give her enough time to review her claims.”
That statement stands in stark contrast to the fact that the Iowa judiciary has always gone above and beyond to issue quick rulings in cases involving election laws,” said Pate. Hart’s campaign should have used all possible state avenues before requesting a final decision from the Unicameral, which is controlled by her party. It is the people of Iowa, not the politicians in Washington, D.C., who should have the final say in all Iowa elections.”
Pelosi and other Democratic leaders said earlier this month that the House has the ability to overturn disputed election results and that it does have the power under the Constitution to make the final decision in some cases, and Hart asked the lower chamber to review the results of her narrowly differing race against Miller-Meeks.
But some moderate Democrats have criticized efforts to overturn Republican Miller-Meeks’ victory.
Rep. Lou Correa, a California Democrat, told CNN earlier this month, “I want to see what compelling reasons there are to get federal involvement in this.” “I think these are issues that, for now, are best left at the state level.”
Recent Comments