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Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks has earned the endorsement of the Ottumwa Courier, her hometown newspaper, in her bid to unseat first-term Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack in the second district.
“We like Dave Loebsack,” the endorsement begins, praising the incumbent for his work during a “volatile” year that saw massive flooding in the district. He “has done a good job of representing his district in Washington.”
But “We also like Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks,” the Courier continues.
In the end, the Courier’s endorsement seems to come down to questions about whether the southern part of the district — where Ottumwa is — gets as much attention as Linn and Johnson Counties, which are home to the district’s Democratic base and a large percentage of its voters:
To his credit, Loebsack has continued to return to his district. He’s returned to Ottumwa more than 40 times this year alone to discuss issues with district patrons.
But there are concerns that Loebsack, like his predecessor, focuses too much of his attention on Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.
The district is made up of 15 unique counties and the needs of people living in Ottumwa, Centerville, Fairfield, Bloomfield, Burlington and Keokuk are just as important as those folks living in Linn and Johnson counties.
This is a tough decision. Both candidates are qualified to serve and both will do a solid job of representing our views.
But this year, the edge goes to Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and we endorse her candidacy for Congress.
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