Christina Bohannan stresses support for labor during campaign stops in Burlington
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Democratic congressional candidate Christina Bohannan showed her support for organized labor and talked education and other issues during campaign stops in Burlington on Thursday.
Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor and Democratic state representative from Iowa City, is running against Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa for Iowa's newly redrawn 1st Congressional District.
Bohannan first stopped to meet with striking workers outside of the Case New Holland International plant, tweeting: "They deserve a fair contract — wages that keep up with inflation, better retirement plans, and a more consistent time-off policy. And we want to get them back to work. I support them 100%."
Bohannan expresses support for labor unions
Bohannan then hosted a town hall meeting at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 13, speaking to an audience of approximately a dozen. She answered questions on topics including her background and family, her support for labor unions, the Case strike, concerns that Democrats are losing support from union members, education, and workforce issues.
Bohannan began by explaining her support for unions, describing the types of adversities she saw her father experience working as a non-union laborer.
"My dad was a construction worker. He worked really long hours," she said. "But he did not belong to a union. And life was rough a lot of times."
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Bohannan described how her uncle, who was also a non-union laborer, died at a construction site due to unsafe conditions.
She also described her father's experience becoming ill with emphysema and losing his health insurance after battling the illness for 10 years.
"We'd never had much before that, but when that happened, we really lost everything," Bohannan said of her family's financial struggles after her father's illness. "So I saw up close how sometimes even people who work really hard don't get a fair shot."
In contrast, Bohannan went on to describe how her brother, who is an IBEW worker, has been able to lead a prosperous life in part due to his union membership, and in spite of his recent battle with cancer.
"He's had the health care that he needs," she said. "(IBEW) have been there for him. And he's had the time off that he needed, to be with his family, to have the care. And so I've seen that up close and seen the difference that one generation and union membership makes.
"For me, it really is about making sure that when people work hard, they can afford to have a basic wage, that they can have a home, that they can have health care."
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Bohannan spoke about her visit to the Case New Holland picket line Thursday, adding that she's been to several other picket lines this year.
"We're kind of having a labor moment here in Iowa," Bohannan said. "(Case workers) have been out there for months. And it's getting cold. ... It's so important to stand up for people, and a lot of Iowans have been striking this year because they're not getting a fair contract, because they're not getting a fair shot.
"And people want to be at work. They don't want to be striking. But if you're not treated with respect, if you're not given a decent contract, if you're not treated well, (strikes are) going to happen."
Bohannan added that work needs to be done at the federal level to prevent employers from interfering with collective bargaining and spoke about the importance of prevailing wages.
"I've been in the state Legislature the last couple of years. I fought really hard for strong labor protection, and I've watched some really bad bills go through, and I've done everything I could to stop those things. But it's rough in Iowa right now," Bohannan said.
Bohannan accused Miller-Meeks of not supporting the working class and organized labor.
Criticism of incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks
"(Miller-Meeks) voted against the infrastructure bill, which is incredible when you think about Iowa, you think about southeast Iowa, you think about all of the locks and dams and the bridges that are in trouble and the roads," Bohannan said. "She voted against funding to fix those things and the jobs that are going to come from that. ... Even Chuck Grassley voted for that bill, and she voted against it.
"Now, (Miller-Meeks) is going to all these ribbon-cutting ceremonies and doing these op/eds and taking photos in the papers, smiling at these different projects that she didn't want to happen."
Bohannan also criticized Miller-Meeks for her vote against the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which will invest billions of dollars over the next five years in semiconductor chip manufacturing in the U.S.
"We could be a great place for semiconductor manufacturing here in Iowa," Bohannan said. "We've got everything you would need to do that. And she voted against that. She voted against bringing those jobs back to the United States."
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Bohannan went on to describe her distaste for extreme partisan bickering and her desire to fight for Iowans regardless of the agenda of the leaders of either party in Congress.
She also acknowledged support Democrats have lost among union members in recent years, pointing to immigration as one area of concern for some.
Bohannan on immigration, gun laws, public education
"I think both of our parties have failed on immigration," Bohannan said. "I think sometimes Democrats don't acknowledge some of the problems at the border. They don't acknowledge that border states do face particular challenges with the influx of people, and with people dying in trucks at the border."
She went on to express her support for border security, bipartisan immigration reform, and pathways to citizenship for immigrants.
"I've been talking to a lot of people, including here today in Des Moines County, about how we need that workforce, we need more working," Bohannan said. "And immigrants to Iowa are one place where our population is growing. ... I'm hearing from businesses that (immigrants joining the Iowa workforce) would be helpful, but it needs to be done in a lawful, orderly way."
Bohannan expressed support for gun ownership but also described her support for some gun control measures.
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"Law-abiding, responsible gun owners have nothing to fear from me," she said. "I am a gun owner myself. ... It's one of my most cherished possessions, because my dad gave it to me. It's one of the few things I have left of him, and he gave it to me to take care of myself."
Bohannan added that she has supported "common-sense" gun reform measures, including background checks and mental health services.
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She also spoke of the importance of funding public education.
"Education, for me, it changed my life," Bohannan said. "Neither of my parents had graduated high school. For me, I went to engineering school and then law school at a public university. I worked my way through it. But getting a good public education prepared me for that. And I think (education) is the great equalizer. I think it's what lifts people up. And it lifted me out of poverty and gave me opportunities."
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Bohannan said she believes it is important to provide more funding for education at all levels.
"I would like to see (the U.S. make) a national investment in (education) like we did with infrastructure," she said. "A targeted, focused investment in our public education system, which includes preschool, not just K-12, and then all the way up, including community colleges, apprenticeships.
"I really think that needs to be a focus, because we are losing ground in the United States, and Iowa for sure, but across the United States, our education system is not excelling the way that it did. We are falling behind. In countries like China, you better believe they are investing heavily in their education. And we really can't afford to fall behind."
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Bohannan finished the town hall by asking that those who plan on voting for her be vocal about their support and share their reasons for supporting her with others.
"Hearing it from you will mean more than coming from some stranger or somebody who is knocking at their door that they don't know," she said.
Ryan Drew, president of the Southeast Iowa Building and Construction Trades Council, and one of the moderators of the town hall, said he believes Bohannan is the candidate to beat Miller-Meeks, but stressed the importance of getting out the vote.
"This race was decided by six votes the last election," Drew said. "I think we have a better candidate than we did before. Nothing against Rita Hart, but I think (Bohannan) has more fire in her. ... But six votes. It does matter."
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Labor, education tops of Bohannan campaign stop in Burlington
