Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, chastised Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for attempting to “steal” a seat from Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa.
Miller-Meeks eked out a six-vote victory over Democratic challenger Rita Hart in the closest election in US history since 1974, according to the Des Moines Register.
Join The True Defender Telegram Chanel Here: https://t.me/TheTrueDefender
The final tally in Iowa’s 2nd congressional district came after a recount, and Miller-Meeks was declared the winner by the bipartisan Iowa State Canvassing Board in late November.
Rather than challenging the outcome in state court, Hart appealed to the Democratically controlled House of Representatives.
The matter is currently before the House Administration Committee, which is headed by California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren.
According to CNN, Hart claims that if 22 discarded mailed-in ballots were counted, she would have won the election by nine votes rather than losing by six.
Some voter testimonies were released by Hart’s campaign, claiming that their ballots were improperly tossed due to envelope problems.
“The lawyers for both sides have until Monday to submit their initial briefs to a House panel that decided to hear the case on party lines last week. CNN reported that the House, which the Democrats control by a 219-211 margin, “could ultimately decide the election.”
Last week, Pelosi confirmed that the House may vote to overturn the Iowa State Canvassing Board’s decision, remove Miller-Meeks, and seat Hart.
The speaker told Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram, “There could be a situation to that extent.”
McDaniel responded to that possibility by tweeting a statement made by Pelosi in December 2017 following an Alabama Senate special election.
“When someone is elected to our House, we seat them. Pelosi said, “We enfranchise their electors, Republican or Democratic.”
“A bipartisan group has confirmed that @millermeeks won her seat,” McDaniel wrote.
“It’s past time for Pelosi and the Democrats in Congress to stop trying to steal it.”
It’s worth noting that House Democrats voted just a few months ago to impeach former President Donald Trump, saying he instigated an uprising by calling the 2020 election results into question.
There were a few anomalies in swing states that warranted further investigation.
In the majority of cases, such as in Iowa’s 2nd district, there were no recounts.
Democrats also claimed that courts had looked into Trump’s and his supporters’ claims and dismissed them (albeit without actually having evidentiary hearings in most instances).
Hart didn’t even bother to go to court; instead, he went to the partisan House of Representatives.
“Let me lay out the facts for you. Miller-Meeks told Fox News last week, “I won by a big margin on election night.”
“After that, all of the counties in the 2nd Congressional District have their official county canvas, as required by Iowa law. “I was still ahead in votes after that country canvas,” she added.
She went on to say that on January 3, the House voted to seat every member who had been declared the winner of their respective races.
“No one contested, no one stood up on the House floor and contested my being sworn in as the congresswoman from the 2nd Congressional District,” Miller-Meeks said.
“If winning an election by six votes isn’t enough, why is it enough to have six Democratic votes on a commission to overturn an election?” she wondered.
“Iowa law determines what our election processes are, how ballots are included, and everything else.”
The question that all of this raises is simple: Is a partisan House panel in Washington, D.C., better suited to examine the facts than a bipartisan body in Iowa, where the election took place and the evidence is available?
It’s no doubt a bitter pill for Pelosi and the Democrats to swallow that they lost so many seats in the House when they had hoped to gain more.
When the top of the ticket does well, history shows that those running down the ballot with the same party do well as well.
In 2020, however, this will not be the case. Every toss-up district went Republican, and a few Democrats were expected to win handily.
Pelosi and the Democrats, on the other hand, should not attempt to reverse one of those victories. Rather, it is to persuade voters that their candidate is superior the next time around.
That is unlikely to be the case for Democrats in 2022, but that is how our system operates.
