OTTUMWA — Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks had a surprise waiting for her when she finally got back to Ottumwa after her first day back on the campaign trail.
She ran for Congress in 2008 as the Republican candidate, losing to Rep. Dave Loebsack. This is her second bid for Iowa’s 2nd District seat in the U.S. House. The campaign began with a swing Monday through the district’s northern cities before returning home for a speech in Ottumwa.
Waiting for Miller-Meeks at Al-Jon was her campaign ambulance, a piece from her previous campaign. Her husband brought it without her knowledge.
The ambulance is a visible sign of what is both a strength and a weakness for Miller-Meeks. The experience of running a campaign taught valuable lessons. But she lost, something opponents are likely to point to.
Miller-Meeks took that issue head-on, saying the lessons learned far outweigh any disadvantages. She realized she needed to build name recognition throughout the district and make an effort to draw in new people. She set up a Linn County campaign headquarters, targeting the district’s heaviest populations, for that purpose.
And she learned not to take anything for granted, even at the primary level.
“You can never underestimate a candidate,” she said.
Miller-Meeks is one of two candidates running for the seat. The other is Chris Reed, himself a veteran of a campaign against Sen. Tom Harkin that fell short. It is early enough there could be other candidates, as well.
On Monday, Miller-Meeks said the district needs a clear break from the current policies emanating from Washington, D.C. She accused Congress of botching the economy and failing to remember that you don’t buy what you can’t afford.
“Our government responded by pointing fingers. All we can see is bailout after bailout after bailout. Or stimulus after stimulus, which is another name for bailout,” she said.
Miller-Meeks said government policy should protect jobs and the environment. But plans like cap-and-trade seek environmental protection at the cost of crippling the Midwest, raising electrical rates for a region dependent on coal-fired plants. She argued there are ways to accomplish both aims if Congress is willing to stop and examine problems instead of giving in to impulse reactions.
Jerry Nichols, her campaign co-chair in Appanoose County, was among those who approved. He backed Miller-Meeks based largely on her previous campaign.
“I think we need some good, conservative legislators in Congress,” he said. “I’m just tired of seeing money go out of my pocket and into the pockets of people who don’t work.”
Lining up early support like Nichols’ is important to candidates. And in this case it’s an advantage of having run once before.
Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com
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