Last November, Iowa Democrat Rita Hart was beaten by Republican challenger Mariannette Miller-Meeks by only six votes in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District election. Thursday, April 1, Hart finally conceded defeat after attempting to reverse the election outcome.
Candidate Hart challenged the final tally, claiming that 22 ballots had not been counted; therefore, she lost the election by a mere six votes. Hart insisted that all votes should be part of the final count as she vowed to continue efforts to ensure Iowan voices are heard.
Shortly after conceding, Candidate Hart released the following statement:
"After many conversations with people I trust about the future of this contest, I have made the decision to withdraw my contest before the House Committee on Administration. Since Election Day, and throughout this entire process, my mission has been about ensuring the voices of Iowans who followed the law are not silenced. I am saddened that some Iowans' votes will not count through no fault of their own. The work of ensuring it does not happen again will continue beyond this campaign.
Despite our best efforts to have every vote counted, the reality is that the toxic campaign of political disinformation to attack this constitutional review of the closest congressional contest in 100 years has effectively silenced the voices of Iowans. It is a stain on our democracy that the truth has not prevailed and my hope for the future is a return to decency and civility.
I wish Mariannette Miller-Meeks all the best as she serves the people of this great state as Congresswoman. This has been a difficult process for all of those involved and it's incredibly important that we work together to reform the system so this does not happen again in the future.
Hart's Motion Receives Support from Democrats, GOP Calls Foul
Rita Hart's complaint about election integrity caused a stir as House Republicans pointed out that Democrats opposed former President Donald Trump's claims of election irregularities while supporting claims from Democrat candidates.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is accusing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other Democrats of trying to increase their seats in Congress and referred to their attempts as "hypocrisy." GOP members spoke up against a possible unconstitutional reversal of an elected official, reported The Blaze.
The Withdrawal
State election results verified the GOP congresswoman had won fairly. But, Hart said her opponent's win was not legitimate. However, while Hart was contesting the Iowa election results, Nancy Pelosi allowed the Republican congresswoman to take her seat in the Lower House. It worried the GOP that Democrats allowed the electoral challenge to continue despite a clear win.
Miller-Meeks Calls Out the Democrats' Dirty Methods
Hart extended well wishes to the Iowa Congress seat winner, Miller-Meeks. She mentioned that to question the win was difficult for both parties, and even after her divisive action, she said electoral reform is still needed to prevent any future confusion.
What reaction followed?
Hart's contesting of the results reached the House Administration Committee, and ranking member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) later commented that Hart's decision to concede is welcome.
Though he said that Speaker Pelosi considering ousting Rep. Miller-Meeks was unexpected, he revealed that Democrats were not 100% supportive of the House Speaker's decision.
Rep. McCarthy tweeted that Rita Hart lost a legitimate election and that Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won via a bipartisan Canvassing Board.
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