WVIK News spoke with Democrat Christina Bohannan, the candidate for Iowa's 1st Congressional District, on Wednesday, Oct. 27, one week before Election Day.
Listen to the interview above or read the transcription below.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy campaign schedule in speaking with WVIK News. For any Iowans in the 1st District who may not know you, could you introduce yourself with a brief background and why you're running?
Christina Bohannan: Yeah, I grew up in a town of 700, like many people in Southeast Iowa. And my dad was a construction worker, and he worked really hard to get ahead. But then he got sick, lost his health insurance, and my family lost everything. And that's what a lot of Southeast Iowans are facing right now with the high cost due to tariffs and high cost of gas due to the Iran war, these increased health insurance premiums because of the One Big Beautiful bill. And Iowans everywhere are ready for change.
And with Election Day just one week away, where are you meeting voters in the 1st District?
Bohannan: I am going all over. I am currently in the middle of a 20-county tour. And I've already done eight events over two days. And I'm making a very deliberate effort to get to all of our small towns, as many of them as possible. A lot of our rural areas and small towns are places that politicians of both parties have left behind. And that kind of rural revitalization is really important to me and will be a priority for me in Congress. So I'm getting out and talking to as many people of all political parties. I am answering their questions. And they are excited about the idea of change in representation.
And what are the main issues you're hearing from Iowans while on the campaign trail?
Bohannan: Well high costs obviously is at the top of mind for so many people. Iowans are working really hard, but they are not getting ahead because of the tariffs, that Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted eight times for. Because of the Iran war and those diesel and fertilizer prices. Representative Miller-Meeks voted five times to prolong that war and actually voted twice casting the deciding vote. If she had voted differently either one of those times, that war would have ended months ago. And then high insurance premiums because of the One Big Beautiful bill. Those premiums have doubled and tripled since that One Big Beautiful bill that cut our healthcare in order to give massive tax cuts to billionaires and data centers. And obviously, Representative Miller-Meeks voted for that as well. So people are really feeling the squeeze right now. And it's the direct result of actions that Representative Miller-Meeks has taken in Congress.
And focusing on those issues, can you inform voters what policies or bills you would introduce or support in the first 100 days of the 120th Congress?
Bohannan: Yes, I am really excited to get to work on these issues. First of all, we need to repeal those tariffs, the ones that don't really make sense for us. We need to repeal them. We need to bring those costs down. It's costing Iowa families $4,200 a year on average. So we need to repeal those. We need to end this war. It's just gone on for way too long and it's been driving up costs. It's making America less safe. It's depleting our munitions as well. And then I think that the other thing that we need to work on is fixing our healthcare system. We've got to repeal these Medicaid cuts and bring premiums down for everyone. I am hearing from rural hospitals that they are bracing for potentially catastrophic losses here when all of those cuts go into effect. So I want to work on that as well. But in the long term, I think it's really important that we take on the corruption in Washington, D.C., because that corruption is largely what is driving our high costs. When you see someone like Representative Miller-Meeks, who has just taken over $450,000 from the big pharmaceutical companies and then voted against letting Medicare negotiate for lower drug prices, took a contribution from insulin manufacturers on the same day that she voted against capping the price of insulin for our seniors. Those kinds of things show that there is a direct link between corruption in D.C. and higher costs for everyday Iowans. We've got to tackle that corruption and end the dark money in our politics.
And if elected, what type of legislation would you support regarding data centers?
Bohannan: Yeah. What we really need to do is to make sure that data centers are not using up our water, using up our electricity, driving up our costs. Those data centers have to stand on their own two feet. It's one of the most profitable, the most profitable industry in the country. And yet Representative Miller-Meeks took a contribution from data centers the day after she voted to give them $70 billion in tax breaks in the One Big Beautiful bill. And now we're seeing them popping up everywhere. We need to make sure that they are paying their own way and that local communities can decide for themselves whether they want data centers, not have a representative who is putting a thumb on the scale of data centers.
And this is your third time you're running against Congresswoman Miller-Meeks. What do you think is different this time around?
Bohannan: Well. I think that all along our message has resonated. I am the person who is fighting for everyday Iowans and working families. Representative Miller-Meeks all this time has been a rubber stamp for her party, for the billionaires, especially the tech billionaires, for the corporate special interests like big pharma and big insurance. And so I think that contrast has been clear. I came very close to winning last time because tens of thousands of people across political parties supported me. But now I think what's different is that people are really hurting more than ever because of the tariffs, because of the Iran war, because of the One Big Beautiful bill that's driven up our costs in order to give massive tax breaks to billionaires and data centers. I think people are seeing just that direct— causal link between her actions in Congress and the high costs that we're facing. And so, more than ever, the people of Southeast Iowa are ready for change and ready for someone who's going to put them first in D.C. And that is what I'm running to do.
And in 2024, you lost to Congresswoman Miller-Meeks by nearly 800 votes in what the Cook Political Report rated prior to Election Day a toss-up. Now, seven days away from Election Day, the same report has labeled the race lean Democrat. This comes as the district is being eyed, among others, by the Trump administration as a key district to maintain control of Congress. And they made claims in the past few weeks that election integrity is a concern for them nationwide, possibly a pretext to disrupt the voting count. Are you preparing your campaign to respond if they attempt to take over the election process here in Iowa?
Bohannan: Well this district loves close elections. So, we are encouraging every single person to get out and vote. It's really important that people exercise that right, especially in a district that is always so close. But I have a lot of confidence in our election officials, the county auditors and the poll watchers. I mean, these are Iowans, and they believe in this process. And so I am optimistic and have a lot of confidence that every vote, every lawful vote will be counted.
And one more thing, what is your final message to voters ahead of the November 3rd midterm elections?
Bohannan: I think I would say that people are really struggling right now as a direct result of what has been happening in Washington, D.C. And the only way to change what's happening in Washington is to change the people that we send there. I think that Representative Miller-Meeks has had six years in Congress and she has driven up our costs and cut our healthcare more than ever. People are struggling. And I hope that people are ready for change because I am certainly ready to represent them and put Iowa first in D.C.
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