Iowa’s 1st Congressional District covers 20 counties in the southeastern corner of the state, is represented by Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and is one of the most competitive House seats in the country, rated R+4 by the Cook Political Report as of November 2025.1Cook Political Report. IA-01 2026 Its current boundaries took effect for the 2022 election after Iowa’s nonpartisan redistricting process relocated the district from the northeastern part of the state to the southeast.
Where the District Is
The district stretches from the Mississippi River westward toward the Des Moines metro, taking in a mix of river cities, college towns, and farming counties. Its two main population anchors are Scott County, home to Davenport and the Iowa side of the Quad Cities, and Johnson County, home to Iowa City and the University of Iowa.2Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Our District Burlington in Des Moines County sits further south along the Mississippi, and Warren County, which includes Indianola, forms the district’s western edge near Des Moines.
Total population is roughly 805,000, up slightly from the 2020 Census apportionment figure of about 798,000.3Census Reporter. Congressional District 1, IA
Who Represents the District
Mariannette Miller-Meeks has held the seat since the current map took effect, winning the newly drawn 1st District in 2022 and again in 2024. In the 119th Congress she sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.4U.S. House of Representatives. Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Her district office is at 201 W. 2nd Street, Suite 705, in Davenport, and the phone number is (563) 232-0930.5Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Davenport Office As with any House office, staff there handle constituent casework with federal agencies, including Social Security, veterans’ benefits, and immigration matters.
How the District Votes
The Cook Political Report’s R+4 rating means the district has voted about four points more Republican than the country as a whole in recent presidential elections. Iowa’s three other congressional districts lean more heavily Republican, which makes the 1st the only one that draws serious competition from both parties in most cycles.
The last two general elections show the pattern. In 2022, Miller-Meeks defeated Democrat Christina Bohannan 162,947 to 142,173, roughly 53% to 47%.6Iowa Secretary of State. Iowa 2022 General Election Results The 2024 rematch was far tighter: after a recount across all 20 counties, Miller-Meeks won by about 800 votes, one of the closest House races in the country that year. The combination of a liberal-leaning Iowa City, Quad Cities manufacturing precincts that can swing either way, and reliably Republican rural counties keeps producing these narrow outcomes.
Who Lives in the District
The median age in the 1st District is 39.6 years, pulled slightly below the state figure by the University of Iowa and other campuses.3Census Reporter. Congressional District 1, IA The population is predominantly White, with White non-Hispanic residents making up about 83%, well above the national share. Black and Hispanic or Latino residents are the next largest groups.7Data USA. Congressional District 1, IA
Median household income runs between roughly $72,200 and $73,700 depending on the data release, a bit under Iowa’s statewide median of about $75,500.3Census Reporter. Congressional District 1, IA Manufacturing drives the economy, especially around the Quad Cities, where river access supports heavy industry and logistics. Health care and education make up the next big block of employment, anchored by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the university itself, with agriculture and farm services dominant in the rural counties.
Registering and Voting in the District
To vote in the 1st District, you need to be registered at least 15 days before the election. Iowa also allows Election Day registration at the polling place, so missing that pre-registration deadline does not shut you out.8Iowa Secretary of State. Voter Registration In a district decided by about 800 votes in 2024, a single precinct’s turnout can plausibly change the result.
Why the Boundaries Look This Way
Iowa draws its congressional maps through a process that most states do not use. The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency produces the maps without access to voter registration data, past election results, or incumbents’ home addresses, and by statute the lines cannot be drawn to favor any party, officeholder, or racial or language group.9Iowa Legislature. Legislative Guide to Redistricting in Iowa The legislature votes the plans up or down without amendments. The current map, adopted in late 2021, moved the 1st District from northeastern Iowa to the southeastern footprint it has today.10Iowa Legislature. Iowa Redistricting That history matters because older references to Iowa’s 1st District describe a different part of the state.