Iowa Republican Congressman: Democratic House Candidate's Recount Is a Waste of Taxpayer Money

A Republican congresswoman in Iowa who is running for re-election has accused her Democratic opponent of squandering taxpayer funds by seeking a recount of their narrow race.

In Iowa's 1st Congressional District, the Associated Press has not yet declared the winner, as Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks leads Democrat Christina Bohannan by only 801 votes. Bohannan requested a recount last week.

"Four counties in IA-01 have completed their recounts and I’ve gained 2 votes. Christina Bohannan and the Dems are once again wasting taxpayer money," Miller-Meeks posted on X Thursday. She has previously declared victory and her campaign is confident in her lead.

This week, House Committee on Administration observers were dispatched to Iowa to oversee the ongoing uncalled race.

Last week, Bohannan's campaign stated that they aim to "hear every voter" and vowed to "accept the results, regardless of the outcome."

A GOP victory in Iowa would give the Republican conference some space to disagree without impeding President-elect Trump's agenda in the upcoming Congress.

In the 2020 election, Republican incumbents retained Iowa's other three congressional seats, including the closely contested 3rd District, where Zach Nunn successfully defended his seat against Democrat Lanon Baccam's challenge.

In the 2nd and 4th Districts, Republican incumbents Ashley Hinson and Randy Feenstra won decisively, with Hinson defeating Democrat Sarah Corkery and Feenstra defeating Democrat Ryan Melton.

Thus far, Democrats have retained 213 seats in the House of Representatives, while Republicans have claimed 219.

In California's 13th and 45th Congressional Districts, Republican incumbents are narrowly leading in two uncalled races.

In 2022, Miller-Meeks won the race in Iowa's 1st Congressional District by a larger margin of 7 percentage points over Bohannan. Now, the two are facing off again in a rematch.

In 2020, Miller-Meeks won her first term in Congress by defeating Democrat Rita Hart by a narrow margin of six votes in Iowa's 2nd District.

This report was contributed to by Danielle Wallace of Planet Chronicle Digital and the Associated Press.