In Iowa House District 1, incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, leads her Democrat opponent Christina Bohannan by less than one percentage point. 

As of 1:50 a.m., the Associated Press shows Miller-Meeks leading by just over 400 votes, with Washington County still counting its votes. Miller-Meeks is leading in the county by around 1,500 votes with 43 percent of votes counted.

Miller-Meeks held her watch party at the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort in Riverside, Iowa, and saw a crowd of around 40 attendees at the party’s peak. The party began at 8 p.m., which is when polls closed for the state.

As the hour drew closer to 1 a.m., Miller-Meeks took to her venue’s stage to declare victory in the Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race despite it not yet being called.

In her speech, Miller-Meeks thanked God, her family and friends, her staff, and her supporters for helping her clinch a third term. 

“Throughout this entire campaign … I said one refrain over and over again, and that was whether or not I got reelected was not what was most important,” Miller-Meeks said. “Because this campaign isn’t about me. This campaign is about you.”

She emphasized pursuing her campaign issues, including border control, lowering prescription drug prices, and controlling inflation.

Miller-Meeks also held up a copy of the Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll that showed the district leaned Democratic, sarcastically thanking the poll.

“Not only did we not lose by 16 points, we won,” Miller-Meeks said. “We won this district a third time.”

Despite her opponent’s confidence, Bohannan seems intent on waiting to declare a result of this election until after it has been officially called, telling her supporters that the race is currently too close to call.

Bohannan’s watch party at Big Grove Brewery drew a large crowd of Johnson County Democrats, sharing drinks and food as Dominic Fike and Noah Kahan songs played over the loudspeaker. 

Just after 11:30 p.m., though, the music was turned off and silence overcame the room of voters. Then, an eruption of applause. Bohannan entered the room with her husband, Pete, and daughter, Amira. 

“This is a really, really close race at this point. It is too close to call, unfortunately,” Bohannan said onstage in front of her crowd of supporters.

Bohannan thanked the crowd before her for their participation in their campaign and her family for their support. 

Emphasizing the role of the youth vote in her campaign, Bohannan thanked younger voters and told them she understood their frustrations with political culture, but she also urged them to appreciate their power as voters. 

“Whenever you feel powerless, I want you to remember what we have done on this campaign. You are the ones you’ve been waiting for,” Bohannan said. 

Reiterating that this race is too close to call, Bohannan continued to thank her constituents and all others who were involved in her candidacy. In the room, the mood was a mix of somber and hopeful. The cheers that emanated from the crowd earlier now dulled to nods of appreciation and a few hopeful smiles and glances. Bohannan concluded by saying that no matter what the outcome of the race would be, she is proud of her campaign. 

“If we win, I will be honored to be your next congresswoman,” Bohannan said. “If we don’t win, it’s okay. It’s okay because we stood up and did what we needed to do.”

Key campaign issues

The major themes of Bohannan and Miller-Meeks’ tight race were abortion, immigration, and the economy. On Oct. 21, the two fought on these issues in a debate hosted by Iowa PBS. 

Bohannan is a staunch abortion rights advocate and wants to see Roe v. Wade reinstated. 

Miller-Meeks has said she is pro-life but supports abortion bans with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Bohannan repeatedly pointed to Miller-Meek’s co-sponsorship of a life-at-conception bill that would have banned all abortions and threatened access to fertility treatments. 

Bohannan also said that she would support a bipartisan immigration bill, while Miller-Meeks accused Bohannan of weakening border security by supporting sanctuary cities and accused Bohannan of wanting to abolish the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. 

Miller-Meeks argued that she has taken action on securing the southern border, using her vote in favor of the Secure the Border Act of 2023.

On the economy, Miller-Meeks argued in favor of renewing the Trump-era tax cuts set to expire in 2025. 

Bohannan, on the other hand, sees these tax cuts as outdated, particularly due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy. Arguing that the Trump-era tax cuts primarily favor the wealthy, Bohannan campaigned on a tax system that would favor all taxpayers and would not raise taxes for the lower and middle classes. 

At the Miller-Meeks watch party, it was Miller-Meeks’ messaging on the economy and immigration that resonated most with voters.

Merle Miller, the chair of Washington County Republican Central Committee, said he supports policies over political parties, and he agreed with Miller-Meeks’ stances on the economy and transgender individuals in sports.

“It’s very simple — it’s about gas and groceries, and it’s about boys in boys’ sports and girls in girls’ sports,” Miller said.

Other attendees, including Keith Neuzil from rural Johnson County, said they like Miller-Meeks’ stance on protecting the border from illegal immigration and Iowa farmland from foreign interests. Miller-Meeks’ character also stood out to Neuzil.

“Contrary to the belief of what the ads say, she does have a good moral standing, a good position,” Neuzil said.