Miller-Meeks Refuses to Move to Her Own District, Rents Apartment from Major Campaign Donor

DES MOINES – Mariannette Miller-Meeks isn’t even pretending like she wants to live in the district that she’s running to represent as she dodges questions from reporters on where she actually lives and tells voters she’s refusing to sell her house in Wapello County.

Instead of moving to her new district, Miller-Meeks is renting an apartment in Davenport from Republican Iowa Board of Regents member David Barker, who has donated more than $52,000 to Miller-Meeks’ campaigns. Miller-Meeks refuses to answer how much she pays for the apartment or how often she stays there. Even Barker says he’s not sure whether Miller-Meeks spends any time at her apartment – likely because she’s never there.

When Miller-Meeks recently took out a loan, she listed her Wapello County address on the form. After she was called out for using her address outside of the district, she submitted a new loan application the very next day and tied it to her Washington, D.C. address.

What we do know is that Miller-Meeks registered to vote at the apartment, despite living in her Ottumwa residence. This is a potential violation of Iowa law, leading to an ethics complaint filed against Miller-Meeks.

“If Mariannette Miller-Meeks lies about where she lives, what else is she lying about?” said IDP spokesperson Paige Godden. “While Miller-Meeks claims to spend most of her time in DC, her Congressional schedule is only four days a week. Maybe if she spent less time trying to cover up where she really lives, she could spend more time in Iowa speaking with the constituents she represents.”