IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials on Monday were expected to certify a Republican candidate as the winner by six votes of an open seat in the U.S. House…
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials on Monday certified a Republican candidate as the winner by six votes of an open seat in the U.S. House, in what is shaping up to be the closest congressional election in decades. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks finished ahead of Democrat Rita Hart in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District after a recount saw her 47-vote lead steadily dwindle to single digits. The state Board of Canvass voted 5-0 Monday afternoon to certify Miller-Meeks as the winner over Hart by a count of 196,964 to 196,958. The board, which includes Gov. Kim Reynolds and four other state elected officials, also certified President Donald Trump as the winner of the state’s six electoral votes. The board is made up of three Republicans and two Democrats. If it withstands expected legal challenges, Miller-Meeks’ margin of victory would amount to the closest U.S. House race since 1984 and the tightest in Iowa since 1916. “That race alone reinforces that every vote counts and can make a difference,” said Secretary of State Paul Pate, Iowa’s commissioner of elections and a canvass board member. Hart’s campaign has signaled that it will likely take legal action to challenge the outcome, and must do so within two days of the certification under Iowa law. Such a filing would trigger the formation of a contest court consisting of Iowa Chief Justice Susan Christensen and four district judges who will be appointed.
