Christina Bohannan visits Rotary meeting

Iowa House of Representatives from the 85th district Christina Bohannan spoke at the Mt. Pleasant Rotary meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Bohannan, a candidate for Iowa's 2nd Congressional district in 2022, spoke to Rotary members about her life and several issues around the state and country.

One of the main ideas she talked about was the Miracle of America: that people can be free to govern themselves and have the power to fulfill their own destiny in life.

She aligned the idea with her own life.

"The Miracle of America is very personal to me because I feel like I've lived it," Bohannan said. "I was not born a law professor. I was born in a really small town, and I grew up in a trailer off of a dirt road. Neither of my parents graduated high school."

Her father was a construction worker, and he got sick with emphysema. His health insurance was canceled, and they lost everything she said.

This idea is one of the main reasons she has decided to run for Congress.

"I tell you all that because I think it's important for you to know who I am," she said. “When I think about it, I think what we could be if we had a government that really truly lived up to the Miracle of America. What we could do if we had a government that allowed every single person in Iowa and the country to have a fair shot. "

Following her talk, Bohannan fielded questions.

One question revolved around workers and the current struggle of businesses to find help.

"Hard work is very important," she said. "Hard work is what I got, and I think we have to do that. We don't have the resources to just give and give and give. We're going to have to make choices, and that means giving help to people that really do need it and those who really cant work. Others, I absolutely believe they should get a fair shot. It should be an opportunity to succeed. Not just here you go. It's not sustainable."

For Bohannan, speaking at meetings like this is her favorite part of the job, precisely because of the people she meets.

"This is absolutely critical. It's my favorite part of the campaigning," she said. "There are a lot of different things that you do when you run a campaign, but coming out and meeting people in the district and hearing what their lives are and learning about what gets them up every day, what excites them, what worries them, that's the key. Really, when I think about being a Representative, it's a relationship. Just like a relationship, I want to know about each person no matter who they support."

Comments: hunter.moeller@southeastiowaunion.com