Mariannette Miller-Meeks (file photo)
Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa will take the oath of office this Sunday, to represent Iowa’s second congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced the Committee on House Administration will review the second district race, but Miller-Meeks will be provisionally seated in the U.S. House.
Democrat Rita Hart of Wheatland finished six votes behind Miller-Meeks in the results Iowa officials certified a month ago. Hart says Iowans deserve to know they’re represented by the candidate who got the most votes and that’s why she’s asked the U.S. House committee to order another recount in the district.
Miller-Meeks says she looks forward to continuing to serve Iowans in the U.S. House. She immediately resigned from her seat in the Iowa Senate after Pelosi’s announcement that she’d be sworn in on Sunday. The written statement Miller-Meeks released did not address Hart’s challenge.
Republicans have criticized Hart for pursuing a second recount, arguing she skipped over a potential review in state court early this month and opted for a partisan process in the U.S. House. A spokesman for Speaker Pelosi says the House Administration Committee will conduct a thorough and fair review to make sure every vote was counted and counted as cast. Hart has alleged at least 18 ballots cast for her were not counted due to errors made by local election officials.