I’m all in for the third time with Christina Bohannan for U.S. Congress in Iowa’s First District. Over the three cycles she has run, I had more than my share of one-on-one conversations with her. I have confidence she will do what she believes is right for the district and the country. That doesn’t mean she and I will always agree on issues. That’s not what I want from a congresswoman. I want someone who will represent us well. I believe she will.

The main thrust of this race is that we have to do something to stop the current president on many fronts. In part, that means retaking a majority in the U.S. House. This district leaned Republican the last three cycles, but anyone who follows politics can feel the worm is turning. The Republican House majority is razor thin and this race could easily be a decider.

I’m getting weary of hearing about the close votes in this district and its predecessor. The Republican won by these many votes: 2020: 6 votes; 2022: 21,396 votes; 2024: 799 votes. That is not a case for Bohannan or for any Democrat to win here. More meaningful things make the case.

Which candidate has the capacity to represent all district residents. That is clearly Bohannan, as the incumbent has sewn herself lip to butt on the president and I expect that will have negative consequences for her. Bohannan doesn’t brag a lot, but I see her social media reports from events and she is reaching out to everyone. I remember when she was campaigning in our small city, I gave her the names of several Main Street Republicans to seek while here. She did and reported the conversations went well. This is how she wins in November.

Likewise, events and social media posting like this help spread this “all of us” theme:

The Republican has the edge in fund raising and that will matter in Iowa’s First District. Last reporting I saw (first quarter) the Republican had raised about $5.75 million and had roughly $4.32 million cash on hand. Bohannan had raised about $5.10 million and had about $4.01 million cash on hand. Margins matter a lot in this race, which is expected to be one of the most expensive House contests in the country. $5.1 million is respectable, though, so I would describe Bohannan as competitive in fund raising.

So there you have it: trust that Bohannan will do what she believes is best for the district and country; a growing anti-Trump movement; actively reaching out to all kinds of voters, not just the party faithful; and competitive in fundraising.

It seems elemental, yet these things make a strong foundation on which to build a winning vote total in November. I’m all in.