Bohannan’s 2021 Patriotism Remarks Resurface in Iowa House Race Decided by 800 Votes
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 10
Bohannan’s 2021 Patriotism Remarks Resurface in Iowa House Race Decided by 800 Votes
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 10
Summary
A 2021 newsletter by Iowa Democrat Christina Bohannan has resurfaced as she seeks a rematch against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in one of the state’s most competitive House races.
In the newsletter, Bohannan called patriotism a “sensitive and controversial” subject, said Republicans had “co-opted” it, and urged students to think critically about the Pledge of Allegiance even as she backed Iowa’s pledge mandate.
The school pledge bill passed 91-3-6 in 2021 with Bohannan voting yes, though she wrote that Democrats in swing districts risked their seats over the issue and framed her support around democratic values after Jan. 6.
Miller-Meeks, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, said patriotism has never been controversial, while Bohannan’s campaign said she stands by both her vote for the pledge requirement and her defense of patriotism.
The clash lands in a district Bohannan lost by about 800 votes in 2024 after a recount, with the race unfolding alongside broader partisan splits over patriotic displays and renewed scrutiny of her past comments on DEI and transgender sports.