What they’re saying in Iowa

With Congresswoman-elect Mariannette Miller-Meeks receiving her certificate of election yesterday, it’s clearer than ever that Rita Hart’s only path into Congress is to have Nancy Pelosi throw out the votes of Iowans and install her in Congress.

And from editorial boards to liberal columnists to prominent Iowans, Rita Hart is taking criticism from all sides.

Here’s a sampling of what folks are saying:

Ambassador Terry Branstad: Iowans, not Nancy Pelosi, should decide the winners of Iowa elections
“Iowa law gives candidates one last avenue to challenge an election. If Hart believed that the recount excluded ballots that should have been counted, she could have raised those issues with Iowa’s neutral judges through a judicial election contest. But Hart didn’t trust Iowa’s process. Rather, she skipped over Iowa’s impartial judiciary and picked a Washington, D.C., political process. She says she is going to contest the election result in the U.S. House of Representatives. Instead of a panel of Iowa judges hearing her case, she will present it to a partisan committee. This is not the rule of law. It is the rule of power. If Nancy Pelosi wants to shove aside the person elected by Iowans, she can do it.

“This is wrong, and Iowans should say so. They should tell Hart and Pelosi that we elect our own leaders; a California politician should not be allowed to select who represents us. All Iowans, Republicans, Democrats, and independents, should reject Rita Hart’s political power move. She should accept defeat, and, if she wishes, run again in two years. That is what Iowans deserve.”

Quad City Times: Editorial: Settle disputes in Iowa
“We are not sure how the House will resolve Hart’s challenge, which hasn’t even been filed yet. We are disappointed, however, at this turn of events. Bottom line: Iowa’s congressional representatives ought to be chosen by Iowans, and when there are disputes over how the state’s elections are conducted, we prefer those issues to be settled in Iowa, not Washington, D.C.”

Randy Evans, retired DMR journalist and liberal columnist: U.S. House is wrong place to decide who won Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District seat
“What was Hart thinking by asking politicians in Washington, rather than judges in Iowa, to rule on her claim that not all legally cast ballots were counted?

“Does she really think this is how ordinary Iowans want their members of Congress to be chosen?”

Omaha World Herald: Editorial: Iowa Democrat must accept close election result for the good of the country
“Now, of all times, the country just can’t afford for the House to do this. Hart and Iowa Democrats, having chosen not to pursue a remedy in state court, should accept the certified election result. Miller-Meeks should be seated.”