Iowa’s Second Congressional District Republican primary has been competitive in terms of the campaign.
Both candidates have taken shots at each other and neither is expected to leave anything on the table in the final week of the primary.
Second District voters would benefit from an explanation from Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Throughout this campaign, Miller-Meeks has done her best to attach herself to President Donald Trump. But tweets from Miller-Meeks in 2016 tell a different story.
In one tweet, Miller-Meeks responds to someone else, who said “for all the GOP rescinding their support of Trump now, it’s too little, too late. No one is surprised by these comments.”
Miller-Meeks says, “true enough. And Hillary just as bad, just not indicted.”
In the other tweet, Miller-Meeks was asked if she believes Trump is fit to be President.
“As fit as Hilary Clinton. Both liars & corrupt.”
It doesn’t end there. In 2010, Miller-Meeks advocated for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in America if the border is secured. She also said it isn’t compassionate to have people continue to “live in the shadows.”
We’ve already covered some tweets about transgender bathrooms and battles Miller-Meeks has had in the past in convincing Republicans in the Second District of her conservative bonafides.
Miller-Meeks has criticized Schilling for moving to Iowa from Illinois. Some have suggested Schilling is a “carpet bagger.”
However, that’s a similar allegation to what Miller-Meeks faced in 2018 after she left Burlington to move back to Ottumwa and run for state senate.
In a letter to the editor, Kathy Courtney wrote:
“After three failed congressional runs, Mariannette Miller-Meeks packed her bags, left Ottumwa and took her ophthalmology practice to Burlington. After spending the last few years practicing in Burlington, Mariannette decided to dust off the old yard signs and failed policies and come back to Ottumwa so she could run for office a fourth time…
“After her three failed attempts to leave Ottumwa for Washington, Miller-Meeks abandoned Ottumwa for Burlington. Miller-Meeks doesn’t care about borders. She’s just another self-serving politician who’s looking to get ahead at any cost. If given the chance, she’ll head to Des Moines and won’t look back.”
The most recent hit on Schilling’s campaign was targeted at his son, Terry, who has essentially taken over the campaign while Bobby Schilling deals with his recent cancer diagnosis and treatments.
Terry Schilling is a “conservative leader” who is the executive director of American Principles Project. American Principles Project is a “conservative think tank” that promotes human dignity in public policy, supports the respect for human life from conception until natural death, one-man/one-woman marriage, the reality of human beings as divided into two complementary biological sexes, religious freedom and the thorough preservation of constitutional values.
The group doesn’t shy away from LGBTQ issues.
At issue is a tweet from May 22, 2019, in which Terry wrote, “I have zero problem explaining heterosexual sex to my kids if they ask — it’s how babies are made. Am I really a snowflake for not wanting to explain butt sex to my kids? ‘Dad, can two dads have kids together? Why do they get married? How do they have kids?’
“‘Yes, two dads can get married and can have kids, but they have to hire a woman to implant an embryo in her uterus and carry the baby to term, then the two dads take the baby away from the mom, just like a puppy.’
“Is this the conversation I should have with my kids?” Schilling wrote. “Parents, you’re not snowflakes for not wanting to explain the sordid world of gay couples — who really don’t get married anyway.”
The article was written with a headline calling Schilling’s tweet homophobic. The original tweet, which has since been deleted, resurfaced on Twitter and tagged Terry, saying, “Weird, some of your best tweets have gone missing. That’s OK, we archived a few.”
Terry responded, “I will give you even better ones in the future! #womencanthavepenises.”
Both campaigns have traded barbs through various videos.
As the campaign winds down, it will be interesting to see exactly which candidates come out on top in Tuesday’s primary.
