Iowa rep in swing district endorsed by group working to elect GOP women

A Republican congresswoman from Iowa in a swing district has picked up an endorsement from a group working to elect more GOP women. 

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, was among a group of candidates in the House and Senate to receive first-round 2026 endorsements by Winning for Women PAC, which works to support free-market conservative women running for federal office. Cook Political Report – the leading nonpartisan handicapper – rates Miller-Meeks’ district as a “Toss Up” in 2026. 

Miller-Meeks won her 2024 re-election bid in November after a recount confirmed her lead, helping her party pad its thin majority in the U.S. House and retain control of all four of Iowa’s congressional seats. She defeated Democrat Christina Bohannan in a rematch of 2022, when Miller-Meeks won by 7 percentage points. The 2024 margin was much tighter – Miller-Meeks’ lead over Bohannan was less than a percentage point, or fewer than 1,000 votes, according to the Associated Press. 

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Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, speaks during a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health hearing titled “Artificial Intelligence at VA: Exploring its Current State and Future Possibilities” on Feb. 15, 2024.  (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Miller-Meeks earned a first term in Congress representing Iowa’s 2nd District when she defeated Democrat Rita Hart by just six votes in 2020. 

She currently represents the 1st District, which includes the eastern part of the state and a swath of south-central Iowa, including Johnson County, home to the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Winning for Women PAC on Monday also endorsed Reps. Young Kim R-Calif., and Jen Kiggans, R-Va., in the House, as well as Sens. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, in the upper chamber. Kim and Kiggans’ districts both “Lean Republican” in 2026, according to Cook Political Report. Moody and Ernst are both in “Solid R” seats, while Collins’ district “Leans R” in the 2026 contest.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, left, speaks with NRCC chairman Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., as they arrive for the House Republican Conference caucus meeting in the Capitol on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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“Early financial support is critical, particularly in close races,” Danielle Barrow, the president of the Winning for Women PAC, said in a statement obtained by The Hill. “Given Republicans’ narrow control of Congress, we are announcing our initial endorsements earlier than ever before to ensure we hold and expand our majorities. We look forward to endorsing more strong women leaders in Congress in the coming weeks.”

From left, Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, arrive for a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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The House currently has 31 Republican women members, while the Senate has just 10. Winning for Women PAC has spent more than $20 million since 2020 on boosting Republican female candidates in competitive primaries and general elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.