Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) today released the following joint statement on Rita Hart's attempt to overturn the certified election result in Iowa's Second Congressional District.
"Iowa's elections are free and fair. They are administered in a nonpartisan manner and both parties have a seat at the table when counting the votes. The election process, from the original count to the recounts, all found that Rita Hart lost and Mariannette Miller-Meeks won. State officials, both Republican and Democrat, certified this outcome. If Rita Hart had any legal objections, she could have presented her case to an independent Iowa judicial panel for a remedy. She chose not to. By going to Nancy Pelosi to fix her election loss, Rita Hart is seeking a partisan political solution to a nonpartisan democratic process. This is a direct attack on Iowa's elections system, to democracy in Iowa and on Iowans themselves. This decision rubs Iowans the wrong way and for good reason. It takes the decision out of Iowans' hands. If this certified election is overturned by politicians in Washington, the seat would have a cloud hanging over it that would undermine representation for Iowans in the Second Congressional District. Rita Hart should reconsider this undignified decision and allow the certified winner, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, to serve."