Democrat Withdraws Challenge of Her 6-Vote Defeat in Iowa House Race

  • Appeal for committee to overturn results made Democrats uneasy
  • Decision solidifies Republican Miller-Meeks’ hold on the seat

Rita Hart during a debate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Photographer: Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette/AP
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Rita Hart, a Democratic House candidate, withdrew her challenge to her six-vote loss in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District on Wednesday, ending a dispute over the seat that the state certified for Republican Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

The decision came as partisan tension had built over GOP claims that Democrats led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi were trying to “steal” a House seat with the party breakdown so closely divided at 219 to 211, with one newly elected Republican not yet sworn in.