Republican Congressional candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks will announce today that her campaign has raised more than $259K in the Fourth Quarter of 2019.
The campaign’s finance report will show more than a quarter of a million dollars raised, $259,945 total, in the fourth Quarter of 2019 with more than $214,744 Cash on hand.
Notable donors highlighted in the press release include Ambassador Terry Branstad, National Republican Congressional Committee recruitment chair Susan Brooks, Former member of Congress Diane Black, Tom Price, and Greg Ganske.
The campaign claims that 86% of the donors are from Iowa. The most surprising tidbit in this announcement is that 63% of all the donors in this filing are new donors, who have never contributed to her previous campaigns in 2008, 2010, or 2014.
When asked about this race feeling different or similar to races she had run in the past, Miller-Meeks had this to say, “This race feels way different from past campaigns I’ve run. Yes, it’s rated a tossup, it’s an open seat and we’re raising more money than ever before but the excitement on the ground from activists and voters is truly motivating. They see we have this rare opportunity to turn this seat red and it’s very humbling to have them rallying around our campaign.”
Miller-Meeks announced her campaign on October 1, 2019. She is seeking the Republican nomination to represent the Iowa 2nd Congressional District and would replace current Congressman Democrat Dave Loebsack. Loebsack announced in 2019 that he would not seek reelection in 2020. The second Congressional district is made up of twenty-four counties and covers most of southeastern Iowa. It has earned “Toss-up” status by the Cook Political Report and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball. The district is unique in that it is the only open, Democratically held seat in the nation that President Donald Trump Won in 2016.
Miller-Meeks was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2018. She is running in the primary against former Republican Congressman of Illinois, Bobby Schilling. Schilling won a seat in congress in the 17th congressional district race in 2010. He ran for reelection in 2012 but lost. He ran unsuccessfully again in 2014. The primary for the Iowa Second District will be on June 2, 2020. The winner will take on Democrat Rita Hart, a former member of the Iowa Senate until 2019. Hart ran and lost her bid for Lieutenant Governor 2018.
