We are two weeks away from Election Day. In Iowa, early voting has already begun. And this week, we got a side-by-side look at the candidates in the “toss-up” race for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District seat. Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democratic challenger Christian Bohannan squared off over during a televised debate Monday.

On this episode of Iowa Down Ballot, moderator Ed Tibbetts talks with a panel of Iowa political journalists about how they faired on questions about abortion, the border, and COVID relief. They also discuss House Speaker Mike Johnson’s visit to Iowa, a new lawsuit over Iowa’s book ban, weird allegations about voter fraud from the Iowa Secretary of State and a reminder that polls are “by definition” a measure of the past, not the future—so don’t seat them.

Follow these panelists for ongoing, independent analysis:

* Laura Belin

* Art Cullen

* Robert Leonard

* Kathie Obradovich

* Ed Tibbetts

Iowa Down Ballot is a production of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. It is produced by Zachary Oren Smith with music from Dartanyan L. Brown.

Get full access to Iowa Down Ballot at iowawriterscollaborative.substack.com/subscribe