Former state representative Christina Bohannan (D) and U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) met at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, on October 20 for Iowa’s First Congressional District debate.
Both candidates discussed issues weighing on Iowans’ minds, including agriculture, healthcare, and the economy.
Once opening statements concluded, Bohannan and Miller-Meeks were questioned on what immediate actions they would take to lower the cost of living for Iowans. Miller-Meeks voted for no tax on tips or overtime back in May of 2025, when she voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In reference to lowering the cost of living, she mentioned the massive steel mill proposed to be built in Lee County, which she said would provide 1,700 jobs.
Miller-Meeks has voted in favor of the Trump administration’s tariff policies eight times, which Bohannan mentioned as a contributing factor in the rising cost of living. In addition, Miller-Meeks has voted five times in favor of the Iran war, another key factor Bohannan has identified in rising costs.
One of the biggest topics of the evening was foreign policy. In the past week, President Trump has appeared to undermine Ukraine by calling for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s replacement and seeking to strengthen ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Regarding foreign policy, Miller-Meeks blamed the Biden administration for the invasion of Ukraine and went on to state, “The United States should side with Ukraine.”
“This is a war that could have ended much earlier with much less loss of life, much less refugee status, and it’s unfortunate that there was not a plan by the Biden administration for how to conduct this,” Miller-Meeks added.
Bohannan agreed that the Biden administration did not do enough to end the war; however, she argued that President Trump’s desperate ploys to secure diplomatic cooperation with President Putin have prolonged the conflict.
Following the discussion on foreign policy, the debate migrated towards agriculture in the state of Iowa.
Although Bohannan welcomes relief for farmers, she stated she has not reviewed the eight-billion-dollar harvest fuel program announced by the Trump administration yesterday. The program ensures farmers are eligible to receive one-time relief payments due to high fuel and input costs.
Bohannan said, “Miller-Meeks has taken $420,000 from big ag monopolies, and she has voted their way every single time and has never attempted to crack down on any of those anti-competitive practices to bring down costs for our farmers.”
Once again, Miller-Meeks blamed the past administration for ongoing issues, adding that the Biden presidency was at fault for omitting trade policies and a farm bill.
Once the debate reached its second half, both candidates were asked what healthcare policy they would support to expand access to Iowans.
Although Iowa has not cut federal Medicare, many Iowans face healthcare changes in the future due to the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” Act. Miller-Meeks voiced her support for a rural healthcare transformation fund that brings $209 billion to Iowa’s healthcare workforce.
In reference to the program Miller-Meeks said she supported, Bohannan said, “It is a drop in the bucket compared to the Medicaid cuts she voted for.”
Bohannan went on to say, “The Washington County hospital administrator described Medicaid as the oxygen that keeps rural health care alive.”
As the debate concluded, both candidates were given one minute to deliver their closing remarks.
“I’ve worked hard to bring down healthcare costs and introduced a bill that would reduce premiums by eleven percent, but there’s more we can do,” Miller-Meeks said.
“My opponent, however, has been soft on criminals and hard on cops. She has supported decreasing their health benefits, and she has supported sanctuary cities,” she added.
Bohannan fired back, saying, “Representative Miller-Meeks has been a rubber stamp for her party, for tech billionaires, and for corporate special interests.”
She concluded by stating, “I will work to lower costs to improve our health care and our communities by ending the political corruption that is costing us.”
Voting registration is open, and Election Day takes place on Tuesday, November 3. Be sure to register and click here for more information regarding Election Day in Iowa.
Stay tuned in with KRUI
Programming features, updates, special events, and more delivered right to you