Rep. Christina Bohannan, University of Iowa law professor, announces 2nd District congressional run

By: Katie Akin - August 24, 2021 1:08 pm

Rep. Christina Bohannan announced on Aug. 24 that she will run for Iowa’s 2nd District seat. (Portrait courtesy of Iowa Legislature, U.S. Capitol Photo by Harold Mendoza via Unsplash)

Rep. Christina Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor and first-term state representative, announced Tuesday that she will challenge U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks for Iowa’s 2nd District seat.

“I’m running for Congress because there’s so much at stake,” Bohannan said in a campaign video posted to YouTube. “Our kids, our families and our small businesses are worth fighting for.”

Bohannan is a law professor at the University of Iowa with a specialty in copyright and intellectual property law. She was elected to the Iowa House in 2020.

In her campaign video, Bohannan identifies education, workforce training, clean energy, healthcare and broadband as priorities for her campaign.

“In America, if you work hard, you deserve a fair shot,” Bohannan said.

Miller-Meeks beat Democratic competitor Rita Hart by just six votes in 2020, a national nail-biter that ended when Hart conceded her challenge months after the election. In a Twitter video, Bohannan said the close race indicated Democrats could take back the seat.

The Iowa GOP released a statement Tuesday opposing Bohannan’s candidacy.

“Bohannan represents the most liberal state house district in the entire state of Iowa and if she thinks she can connect with everyday Iowans, she should think again,” Jeff Kaufmann, chair of the Republican Party of Iowa, said in a statement.

Today I am announcing my campaign for Congress in #IA02! I’m running to fight for better health care, better education, and better economic opportunity for Iowans because everyone deserves a fair shot. Together we can win — let’s get to work! pic.twitter.com/S9Zfq8LSEH

— Christina Bohannan (@BohannanIowa) August 24, 2021

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Katie Akin

Reporter Katie Akin began her career as an intern at PolitiFact, debunking viral fake news and fact-checking state and national politicians. She moved to Iowa in 2019 for a politics internship at the Des Moines Register, where she assisted with Iowa Caucus coverage, multimedia projects and the Register’s Iowa Poll. She became the Register’s retail reporter in early 2020, chronicling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Central Iowa’s restaurants and retailers.