State Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won the Republican nomination for Iowa’s Second Congressional District. Miller-Meeks, who has run for the seat and lost three times already, picked up 22,682 votes (47.69 percent).
Bobby Schilling, who served in Congress while living in Illinois, received 17,356 votes (36.5 percent).
Again, there were three other candidates who combined for 7,519 votes and more than 15 percent of the vote.
Miller-Meeks is obviously a known commodity among Republicans in the district, so it’s fair to say that her receiving less than 50 percent of the vote could be considered concerning.
Schilling did his best to turn the race into a campaign on conservative issues. Both campaigns traded barbs over previous comments.
Schilling pledged to support both President Donald Trump and Miller-Meeks in the general election.
“I am proud of the campaign we ran,” he said. “Tonight we came up short. That’s OK. I look forward to supporting both Donald Trump and Miller-Meeks in the fall.
“This campaign pushed our opponent to embrace a more pro-life position — Miller-Meeks has endorsed both the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Heartbeat bill in recent days. We also pushed her to the right on a number of different issues. That’s a win.”
Schilling said an impressive grassroots army went toe-to-toe with the establishment coming in hard for Miller-Meeks.
“Despite her out-raising us by several hundred thousand dollars, we made this race very close,” he said. “I’d like to thank my supporters, my friends and my family for their wonderful dedication. These last couple weeks have been incredibly meaningful to me on a personal level. This isn’t the end. We’ll be back.”
Miller-Meeks delivered the following message after her victory:
Our opponent preaches a return to normal but there is nothing normal about socialism. The Democrats’ old and tired policies and ideas have failed. Their policies and ideas rob you of your liberty and individuality and they are heartless. #ia02 pic.twitter.com/jDTx7Cdj1J
— Dr. Miller-Meeks (@millermeeks) June 3, 2020
