House Committee Chair Releases Statement on IA-02 Contest
WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Administration Committee Chair Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) released a statement today condemning Republicans for their coordinated and ill-intentioned efforts to smear the committee’s consideration of the contested election in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
Democrat Rita Hart filed a contest under the Federal Contested Election Act of 1969 after Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks was declared the winner of the close-fought House race by six votes — despite 22 ballots remaining uncounted in the race. The Administration Committee is responsible for hearing contests of House elections and has been tasked with adjudicating the Iowa race. Republicans, both on and off the House committee, have been promoting untruthful rhetoric about the contest process.
Lofgren clarified that this contest process is common and has been used over 100 times in the last 90 years. Both Republicans and Democrats have filed these contests and won. Federal law requires that the contest be brought only after election results have been certified and does not require the contest first be brought to state court.
“Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy served with me on a task force to investigate the last substantive contested election before the House and said at the outcome of that investigation that ‘the American public can be very proud…to know every vote in [Florida’s] Thirteenth District was counted, the outcome was correct,’” Lofgren stated. “Why would he not wish for that same standard in Iowa’s Second District?”