Mariannette Miller-Meeks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Official portrait, 2020
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Dave Loebsack
Constituency	2nd district (2021–2023) 1st district (2023–present)
Member of the Iowa Senate from the 41st district
In office January 14, 2019 – January 2, 2021
Preceded by	Mark Chelgren
Succeeded by	Adrian Dickey
Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health
In office January 15, 2011 – January 9, 2014
Governor	Terry Branstad
Preceded by	Tom Newton
Succeeded by	Gerd Clabaugh
Personal details
Born	Mariannette Jane Miller (1955-09-06) September 6, 1955 (age 69) Herlong, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Curt Meeks ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	2
Education	Texas Christian University (BSN) University of Southern California (MS) University of Texas, San Antonio (MD)
Signature
Website
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Army Reserve
Years of service	1974–1982 (active) 1983-2000 (reserve)
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	Army Medical Department

Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (born September 6, 1955) is an American doctor and politician. Since 2021, she has been a U.S. representative for the state of Iowa. A representative is a person elected to speak for a group of people in the government.

As a member of the Republican Party, she represents Iowa's 1st congressional district. This area includes cities like Davenport, Bettendorf, and Iowa City. Before serving in the U.S. Congress, Miller-Meeks was a member of the Iowa State Senate from 2019 to 2021.

Miller-Meeks ran for the U.S. House three times against Dave Loebsack but did not win. When Loebsack decided not to run again in 2020, she ran for the same seat. She won the election against Rita Hart by only six votes, one of the closest elections in U.S. history.

Early Life and Education

Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks was born in Herlong, California, on September 6, 1955.

She was the first person in her family to go to college. She earned a degree in nursing from Texas Christian University. Later, she received a master's degree in education from the University of Southern California. She also earned a medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to become a doctor.

Career Before Politics

Military Service

At age 18, Miller-Meeks joined the United States Army in 1974. She served as a nurse for eight years. After that, she joined the United States Army Reserve in 1983. She served for 24 years in total and retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Medical Career

Miller-Meeks worked as an ophthalmologist (an eye doctor) in Ottumwa, Iowa. She was the first woman to be president of the Iowa Medical Society. She also taught at the University of Iowa's department of ophthalmology.

In 2010, Governor Terry Branstad chose her to be the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. She led the department until 2014, when she left to run for Congress.

Path to Congress

Iowa State Senate

In 2018, Miller-Meeks was elected to the 41st district of the Iowa Senate. She defeated the Democratic candidate, Mary Stewart. She served in this role from 2019 until she was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2020.

U.S. House of Representatives

Early Campaigns

Miller-Meeks ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008, 2010, and 2014. She was the Republican candidate for Iowa's 2nd congressional district. However, she lost to the Democratic candidate, Dave Loebsack, in all three elections.

During her 2014 campaign, she said she was against the Affordable Care Act, a major healthcare law. She also opposed some government rules that she believed made things difficult for farmers.

The 2020 Election: A Very Close Race

When Dave Loebsack retired in 2020, Miller-Meeks decided to run for the seat again. She won the Republican primary election, which is an election to choose the party's main candidate.

In the main election, she faced the Democratic candidate, Rita Hart. The race was extremely close. The first count of the votes showed Miller-Meeks winning by only 47 votes. Hart requested a recount, and the final result showed Miller-Meeks winning by just six votes. The state of Iowa officially certified this result.

Hart challenged the result in the U.S. House of Representatives. She claimed that 22 legal votes were not counted, which would have made her the winner. The House has the power to decide who won in a contested election. However, Hart later withdrew her challenge, and Miller-Meeks officially kept the seat.

Later Elections

In 2022, Miller-Meeks was reelected to Congress. She defeated the Democratic candidate, Christina Bohannan, by about seven percentage points.

In 2024, she faced Christina Bohannan again in another very close race. After a recount, Miller-Meeks was declared the winner by 799 votes, securing her third term in Congress.

Work in Congress

As a representative, Miller-Meeks votes on new laws and helps make important decisions for the country.

On May 19, 2021, she was one of 35 Republicans who voted with all the Democrats to create a commission. This commission was formed to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol that happened on January 6, 2021.

Key Issues

• Infrastructure: In 2020, Miller-Meeks said that passing a bill to improve the country's roads, bridges, and other structures would be a top priority for her.
• Immigration: In 2021, she co-sponsored the America's CHILDREN Act. This bill helps children of people who came to the U.S. legally on long-term work visas. It gives them a path to stay in the country after they turn 21.
• LGBT Rights: In 2022, Miller-Meeks was one of 47 Republicans who voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. This act made the right to same-sex marriage a federal law.

Committee Work

In Congress, members work on small groups called committees that focus on specific topics. For the 118th Congress (2023–2025), Miller-Meeks's committees included:

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs (where she was the Chair of the Subcommittee on Health)
• Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic

Personal Life

Miller-Meeks is married to Curt Meeks, and they have two children. She is a Roman Catholic.

In 2022, the boundaries of her congressional district were changed, and her home in Ottumwa was no longer in the district she represented. To run for reelection, she changed her voter registration to a house in LeClaire. Members of Congress must live in the state they represent, but not necessarily in the exact district. This led to some questions about where she officially lived, but an election board in 2024 confirmed her ballot was valid.

Electoral History

2020 U.S. House Election

2022 U.S. House Election

2024 U.S. House Election

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives