Democrat Christina Bohannan is projected to defeat Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, ending Miller-Meeks’ tenure as the district’s representative after their third consecutive contest. CBS News projected the race after voting on November 3.
The result gives Democrats the district’s seat, which Miller-Meeks has held since 2021. The projection is not the same as official certification, and no final 2026 vote margin is included in the available results. The Associated Press also called the race for Bohannan.
The change in representation will take effect with the new House term, which begins January 3, 2027. Miller-Meeks will remain in office until then.
A third close contest between the candidates
Bohannan and Miller-Meeks faced one another in the previous two elections, with Miller-Meeks winning both. Their 2024 race was decided by fewer than 800 votes, after she defeated Bohannan by about 20,000 votes in 2022.
Miller-Meeks first won the seat in 2020 by six votes, one of the narrowest margins in modern House election history. The close 2020 and 2024 results led to recounts, with each race taking weeks to finalize.
Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor and former state representative, centered her campaign on affordability. Miller-Meeks defended President Donald Trump’s economic agenda. The campaigns marked a sharp contrast, but the projected result does not include a certified vote total or establish a final margin.
Reid Bentley 
Nicole French