Pelosi supports potentially overturning certified results of Iowa congressional election to oust Republican
Efforts to remove Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks from her seat in the House are well underway after her Democratic opponent, who lost by six votes, appealed the election through the Democrat-led House.
Democratic candidate Rita Hart lost her congressional race in Iowa to Miller-Meeks by six votes, in one of the closest elections in U.S. history, last November. Amid efforts to shut down former President Trump’s own efforts to contest Joe Biden’s win, Hart appealed her results to the House to adjudicate, effectively bypassing legal processes through the courts.
The House has ruled in 110 similar cases over the past 90 years. According to Politico, the original outcome of the election was upheld in all but three cases. However, Democratic party leadership and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are supporting an effort by Hart to unseat Miller-Meeks. Politico reports:
The Iowa case could become the fourth. Rep. ZOE LOFGREN (D-Calif.), who chairs the Administration panel that will adjudicate the first part of this case — and is a longtime ally of Speaker NANCY PELOSI — has said her panel members are keeping an open mind, that nothing is predetermined and that Hart has the burden of proof.
But a source close to the process confirmed to Playbook that the effort to oust Miller-Meeks in favor of Hart has been blessed by the top echelons of House Democratic leadership. And the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] has brought in — and is paying the legal fees for — top Democratic election lawyer MARC ELIAS, this person said.
… Democrats maintain that the House Admin’s rulings and the motivations of the DCCC are two different things — but it would be politically naive to believe that. The judge in this case is essentially the prosecutor — and yes, this is totally allowed under the Constitution.
Elias, who is spearheading the effort, previously led Democratic challenges to state election laws ahead of the 2020 election. Using the pandemic as an excuse, he was successful in repealing election protection measures and advancing the use of mail-in voting, which has historically benefited Democrats more than Republicans.
“Federal law provides that this contest is the proper avenue to ensure that all legal ballots are counted and we have presented credible evidence to support their inclusion in the final tally,” said Elias in a statement.
Despite her opposition to Trump’s efforts to contest the general election results, Pelosi has embraced the election challenge against Miller-Meeks for weeks and has signalled her approval to overturn the results even if it means suffering repercussions from Republicans down the line.
“It was six votes, and our candidate Rita Hart, the Democratic candidate asked for this process to begin. What the committee did, the House Administration Committee, was very narrow to take the process to the next step and see where it goes from there. An election of six votes out of 400,000 votes cast. This is not unique,” Pelosi said, reports the Daily Wire.
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