Ottumwa doctor making another run for Congress

OTTUMWA — A Republican from Ottumwa who’s a member of the state senate is launching another bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks ran for congress in 2008, 2010 and 2014, losing all three races to Democratic incument Dave Loebsack of Iowa City. Loebsack is retiring and will not seek reelection next year.

Miller-Meeks says she began thinking about another congressional run a few months ago. “It’s an arduous, grueling process and there are people who I think would make excellent representatives, but at this time in their lives, it’s not the right time for them to do it,” Miller-Meeks says, “so with a lot of encouragement and urging and the blessing of my husband, I have decided to move forward and seek the nomination.”

Miller-Meeks says she had no intention of running a fourth campaign for Congress, but her 2016 win in a state legislative race was a factor in her decision. “Having gone through that process of running for the senate and then being in the legislature, I think it helped to solidify how much of a need there is for people who have real world experience, who have worked, who have seen what regulations do in a business,” Miller-Meeks says.

Miller-Meeks, who is an eye doctor, works at a private practice in Ottumwa.