Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Miller-Meeks tailgate

IOWA CITY — Iowa Republicans celebrated their party’s dominance in the state, barring participation of transgender girls and women in school sports and passing a voter ID bill and other “election integrity” measures during Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks annual tailgate fundraiser Saturday.

Speaking to more than a hundred people at Streb Construction in Iowa City, Miller-Meeks touted her efforts to “protect women and girls in sports” and push back on efforts by Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration to redefine sex discrimination to offer new protections to LGBTQ students and staff at school.

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Miller-Meeks, who is running for re-election this fall to a third term representing Southeast Iowa's 1st Congressional District, voted for a bill last year that would prohibit school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls, mirroring an Iowa law signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2022.

The bill passed the U.S. House along party lines in a 219-203 vote, but stalled in the U.S. Senate. Supporters say the legislation strengthens existing protections for women and ensures a level playing field for female athletes. Opponents argue the bills co-opts the language of women’s rights to deny trans, nonbinary and intersex students equal access to educational opportunities.

“I was the first in my family of eight to go to college, three boys, five girls,” Miller-Meeks said during the fundraiser. “I was the first woman on faculty at University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology. I was the first woman president of the Iowa Medical Society, and have often been called a trailblazer. That's why I'm passionate about this issue. We have fought for women's rights, and it is the Republicans that will give women's rights a place.”

Appearing by video, anti-transgender activist Riley Gaines praised Miller-Meeks for “how you so fiercely and so passionately defend the rights of people like me, defend the rights of the daughters of the Iowans who are sitting in your room today.”

Gaines, a former University of Kentucky NCAA swimmer, shared her story of competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. Thomas, who first competed on the men's team at the University of Pennsylvania, sparked controversy in 2021 by competing in the women’s division, under the NCAA rules, after undergoing a gender transition. Gaines and Thomas tied for fifth place in the 200 meter freestyle during the 2022 NCAA championship.

Republican Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, in a prerecorded video message played during the event, emphasized the importance of the upcoming fall election and the need for “true conservative leaders” in Washington to push back against border control and economic policies of the Biden-Harris administration.

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Iowa’s three other Republican U.S. House members also spoke, as did Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, Utah congressman and NFL Super Bowl champion Burgess Owens and former Iowa Hawkeye tight end and former Acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker.

Protesters disrupt event over support of Israel

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Four protesters disrupted the fundraiser and were escorted out by off-duty law enforcement working the event. The protesters, who were seated among donors and supporters of Miller-Meeks, stood up and interrupted speakers to demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and arms embargo on Israel.

Two Jewish activists, including Mallory Hellman, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, stood up and chanted, “Stop using our pain to justify killing Palestinian children!” and “You are not making me or my people any more safe. … How many of us are you going to sacrifice to continue your war?”

Several minutes later, ordained Christian pastor Anna Blaedel and engineer Casey Harwood stood up to call out Miller-Meeks over her support of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

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All were forcibly escorted out of the fundraiser, repeating “Cease fire now! Arms embargo now!” until they exited. Harwood and Blaedel were detained by police and then released, according to the protesters.

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Owens, the Utah congressman, compared the protesters “who hide themselves in this room” to white supremacist members of the Ku Klux Klan “who hid behind white masks” and called them “cowards.”

Miller-Meeks campaign declined to comment on the protesters.

She and Ernst were among a group of Republicans who recently returned from a trip to the Middle East to discuss efforts to protect Israel and bring American hostages home.

The visit came just days after the body of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin was recovered by Israeli forces as they moved in to try and rescue him and other hostages captured by Hamas. Goldberg-Polin was wounded and abducted by Hamas during the Re'im music festival massacre. He was held hostage for almost 11 months, until his body was recovered Aug. 31.

Biden has committed to supporting Israel and continued to supply arms during the war, which started on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched a terror attack that killed hundreds of Israelis and abducted hundreds more. But Biden and others have been critical of Israel's tactics, which has left millions homeless in Gaza, and more than 40,000 dead, including more than 16,000 children.

Recently, nearly 1 million Israeli citizens marched in the streets after Hamas killed several hostages before they could be rescued. Marchers accused Netanyahu of scuttling a cease fire deal that would have brought the hostages home.

Miller-Meeks, in a statement, said “Hamas’s recent murder of six hostages, including American citizen Hersh Goldberg Polin, is yet another tragedy that underscores the brutality of” Hamas.

“We will continue to forcefully push for the release of all the hostages,” she said.

State of the race

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Non-partisan election forecaster Cook Political Report this week moved Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican,” signaling the rematch between Miller-Meeks and Democrat Christina Bohannan has become more competitive.

Bohannan, a former state lawmaker and University of Iowa law professor, has outraised Miller-Meeks four quarters in a row and also leads in cash on hand.

“Bohannan has run an aggressive rematch campaign. She’s outraised the Republican incumbent every fundraising quarter since launching her campaign last year and has already spent $1 million on TV ads,” Cook Political Report wrote.

Bohannan lost by nearly 7 percentage points, or more than 20,000 votes, to Miller-Meeks in 2022, who won re-election to a second term after winning her first election by the slimmest of margins — six votes over Democrat Rita Hart in 2020.

“It’s no wonder Mariannette Miller-Meeks is losing ground. Time and time again, Miller-Meeks has sided with her special interest donors at the expense of Iowa’s middle class families,” said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Mallory Payne. “Iowans know Christina Bohannan is the only candidate in the race who has their backs and will deliver solutions to the challenges they’re facing.”

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com