Fact check: Keota-based candidate isn’t running against Miller-Meeks

KEOTA — A Keota man with a criminal record sparked international tabloid headlines when he mistakenly filed as a candidate for the U.S. House District 1 race last month.

British tabloid Daily Mail ran a headline May 9 describing 28-year-old Grant Hill as a “rising GOP star running for Congress.” Hill, however, is not campaigning for Congress in 2026, and prior to April, had never filed to run for any public office before. He did make an update to his out-of-use Twitter account several years ago saying he planned to seek a U.S. Senate seat in 2022, but never filed to do so.

While Hill submitted the paperwork last month to run as a U.S. House candidate in 2026 against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, he told the The Union that paperwork was submitted in error, as he only plans to run for Iowa House District 88 next year; a state legislative race that won’t hit its filing deadline until 2026.

“I knew I wanted to run for office when I came home, and so the first thing I did was, I figured I’ve got to file with the (Federal Election Commission),” Hill said. “So I filed with the FEC instead of the Iowa Secretary of State. It was also 12:44 at night, so I think I was also a little click-happy there.”

Hill has since registered a campaign committee called “The People’s Hill” with the Iowa Secretary of State, according to paperwork he submitted this month. The move is a prerequisite to most campaign finance activities according to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. The state’s window for candidates to file their nomination papers and affidavits of candidacy for specific state and federal races runs Feb. 23 through March 13 of 2026.

In a May 6 email forwarded by Hill, he told a Daily Mail reporter he hadn’t intended to file for federal candidacy, clarifying his intentions days after initially answering a request for comments from the outlet.

Daily Mail did not ultimately quote Hill in its article. The publication did not reply to a request for comments on its reporting of Hill’s candidacy.

“They did call me a, ‘Rising GOP star, I’ll give them that,’” Hill said of the coverage, later adding that he does tentatively hope to run for Congress in 2032.

Hill’s candidacy is noteworthy due to a pair of criminal convictions in 2022, including assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and indecent exposure to a minor. Combined with a prior theft conviction in Tama County, Hill ended up on the state’s sex offender registry, and served a prison sentence that lasted around two years and nine months according to court records and his own account.

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While a felony conviction would theoretically disqualify any Iowan from voting or running for public office under state law, Executive Order 7 signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2020 automatically restores those rights for most felons once their sentences are complete.

Since his release, Hill has founded a Christian nonprofit called “1 Love Legacy,” which aims to “create spaces and opportunities for people to experience real transformation,” according to an FAQ page on its website.

In an emailed statement, Hill said he’d make no efforts to cover up his past on the campaign trail for Iowa House District 88, adding that his time in prison had shaped some of his policy views.

“My journey includes incarceration, and I’m not hiding from it. I’ve seen firsthand how broken our justice and rehabilitation systems are,” he wrote. “I believe in second chances and in policies that help people rebuild — not keep them trapped.”

Iowa House District 88 contains all of Keokuk County, as well as parts of Mahaska and Jefferson counties including Packwood, Pleasant Plain and Oskaloosa. The seat is currently held by State Rep. Helena Hayes, a Republican who ran an uncontested race in 2024. Hayes has not yet announced whether she plans to seek re-election in 2026.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com