Bohannan's third run in Iowa's 1st District tests rural outreach

Christina Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor, is making her third bid for Iowa's 1st Congressional District seat, this time with a strategy that takes her to rural counties she previously overlooked. Her campaign stop at a roadside bar in Louisa County — a region where Donald Trump won by a wide margin in 2024 — reflects a shift in approach after losing to Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks by just 799 votes in the last election.

That razor-thin margin, the second-closest House race in the country that year, convinced Bohannan to run again. She had lost by 23,000 votes in 2022. Her campaign now includes door-knocking that began in January rather than April, and canvassers carry introductory letters from Bohannan. In Louisa County, where she lost by nearly 1,400 votes two years ago, some residents said they had never been contacted by her campaign before.

The district, larger than Massachusetts, is mostly rural with urban pockets. Bohannan won more than 70% of the vote in Johnson County in both previous races and narrowly carried Scott County in 2024. She is now trying to hold that urban support while cutting into Republican margins in rural areas.

Bohannan, 55, describes her upbringing in rural Florida and her family's healthcare struggles as experiences that resonate with voters in the district. She pushes back against the "radical progressive" label Miller-Meeks has applied, saying she supports fiscal restraint and reducing unnecessary regulation.

Miller-Meeks declined an interview request. Her campaign has defended her record, particularly on healthcare legislation, which she says includes provisions most Americans support. Bohannan argues that Miller-Meeks' votes on tariffs, military operations, and the recent tax and spending bill have hurt constituents — pointing to rising gas and grocery prices, reduced soybean sales, and rural hospital financial pressures.

Democratic voter registration has been climbing in the district, including in Scott County, according to local party officials. Bohannan hopes that trend, combined with her expanded rural outreach, will finally push her over the top in a race that could matter for national House control.