Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa and Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack of Iowa City will face one another for the third time on November’s ballot. Miller-Meeks won 49 percent of Tuesday’s Republican primary vote over two GOP competitors.
“We felt good about what we were doing,” Miller-Meeks told Radio Iowa late Tuesday evening. “We felt good about our ‘Full Grassley’ tour and visiting all 24 counties and so we’re very pleased with the result.”
The “Full Grassley” is a reference to U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley’s vow to visit all 99 Iowa counties every year. Miller-Meeks lost to Congressman Loebsack in 2008 and 2010. She said the dynamics of 2014 are different.
“The issues are on our side. Our message resonates with people,” Miller-Meeks said. “I’m known throughout the district, so I have good name recognition, and people are really fed up with government and the lack of accountability, the fact that government doesn’t work for them and they’ve lost faith and trust in the government.”
Miller-Meeks is an eye doctor who served in Governor Branstad’s administration as director of the Iowa Department of Public Health until she resigned in January to run for congress.