Travis Terrell Can Take Down Mariannette Miller-Meeks And Kick Out The Trump Puppet

(And Happy Birthday!)

Travis Terrell is the Democrat who can win IA-01— and deliver for working families

Iowa congresswoman and Trump shill Mariannette Miller-Meeks is one of Congress’ most vulnerable members. Last year, running against a weak candidate with not much to offer, Miller-Meeks was declared the winner— after several recounts— by 799 votes out of 413,156 cast, 50.1% to 49.9%. She lost the two biggest counties in the district, Scott, narrowly, and Johnson, in a landslide. 

Until this past weekend, it looked like New Deal Democrat and Berniecrat Travis Terrell, a working class candidate, would have a clear shot to replace Miller-Meeks. No one could miss the policy contrast between her and Terrell. She is a MAGA loyalist ho jumps through every single hoop Trump holds up, regardless of how harmful and unpopular it is in southeast Iowa. Terrell is fighting for what he calls “Working-Class Economic Justice” (increasing minimum wage, enacting a wealth tax on billionaires and expanding worker protections); a healthcare agenda that would immediately limit out of pocket expenses, while building towards universal healthcare); and campaign finance reform that includes overturning Citizens United, getting dark money out of politics, prohibiting Members of Congress from trading stocks,  and enacting term limits which he thinks would “lower the number of career ‘purchased’ politicians.”

Over the weekend, an elderly former state legislator, Bob Krause, a garden variety Democrat eager to get back into the game— he keeps running for things and loses— declared his candidacy with this run-of-the-mill video that says… exactly nothing. If the blue wave is big enough to sweep even candidates like Krause into office— and that could happen— he would be 77 when he were sworn in.

Today is Terrell’s birthday. He’s 40. If you’d like to contribute to his campaign, you can do it here. This is how he responded to Krause’s primary challenge:

With all due respect to Bob Krause, who I’m sure means well, the last thing Congress needs is another 80-year-old man telling us how to fix a future he won’t be around to face. My generation has been handed a broken economy, unaffordable healthcare, and a climate crisis, and told, “Just fix it.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party keeps doing the same thing it has done for years. It prays that anti-Trump sentiment will be enough to win elections, without doing the hard work of actually earning people’s votes through bold change.

But Trump will not be on the ballot forever. And if we do not start delivering real results, people will stop voting blue the moment he is gone. And honestly, who could blame them?

This year alone, three Democratic House members have passed away. That happened after years of people begging the party to go younger, to build a bench, to make room. And what did the party do? Ignored it. That refusal to pass the torch helped the disaster that is the Trump tax bill pass the House by one vote.

This is not about respect. It is about survival. Recycling the same names the party has been throwing at us for 50 years is not leadership. It is negligence.

I am not here to wait my turn. I am here because it is our turn. And Iowans deserve someone who is ready to fight for the future, not someone clinging to the past.

Bottom line is that Miller-Meeks has marched in lockstep with the crackpot MAGA agenda— voting to overturn the 2020 election results, opposing reproductive rights, backing corporate interests over workers, standing by Trump even as his authoritarian rhetoric grows more dangerous… She may try to paint herself as vaguely mainstream or even “moderate” in the district but her voting record in DC tells the real story: she's a rubber stamp for the same forces threatening democracy, civil rights and the economic security of ordinary Iowans.

Defeating her shouldn’t just be a local priority; it should be viewed as a national imperative. This district is one of the genuine pickup opportunities Democrats have in 2024. But to win it, we can’t afford to run another empty suit with a bland message. The Democratic Party— whether the establishment realizes it or not— needs someone who can inspire the base, speak to the pain and anger of working people and offer a clear, unapologetic alternative to corporate rule and right-wing extremism. Travis Terrell is that candidate. He comes from the working class and still lives in it. He’s not taking corporate PAC money and he’s not watering down his message to please the donor class. He’s campaigning on a bold New Deal-style vision: Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, labor rights, and economic justice— and he’s doing it in a district where those values can win if someone is willing to fight for them unabashedly. If Democrats are serious about flipping this seat and building back long-term power in Iowa, backing Terrell isn’t just the right thing to do— it’s the smart move.

No, Mariannette M-M doesn't always even bother to pretend to be a moderate, not even in Davenport. This particular MAGA fundraiser with her ally, radical extremist Gym Jordan, will be tomorrow at the Rhythm City Casino. Protestors will be lining up along the Elmore Avenue walking path at 10AM.