Republican Flips Iowa's Attorney General Seat Red, Ends Dem's 40-Year Reign

By Abby Liebing November 10, 2022 at 10:19am

With votes still being counted to determine the final outcomes of the midterm election, Republican Brenna Bird beat Democrat Tom Miller to become Iowa’s next attorney general. Miller was the longest-serving state attorney general in the U.S.

The race between Bird and Miller was tight, with Bird winning 50.84 percent of the vote and Miller close behind with 49.16 percent, KCCI-TV reported.

Miller had served as the state’s attorney general for nearly 40 years, according to The Associated Press.

He began his time in office in 1978, and apart from 1990 to 1994 when he unsuccessfully ran for governor, Miller remained as attorney general for decades.

But on Tuesday evening, he called Bird to concede. The AP officially called the race on Wednesday.

“Of course we’re disappointed with the result tonight. But briefly a short time ago I called Brenna Bird, congratulated her and told her she’s going to get a great job. And it is an absolutely great job,” Miller told reporters after the loss.

A thankful @Miller4IA after a roughly 40-year run as Iowa’s Attorney General comes to and end. pic.twitter.com/ZgY1rXxVli

— James Stratton KCCI (@JStrattonKCCI) November 9, 2022

Bird was also congratulated by the Republican Attorneys General Association, which helped fund her campaign, and which also noted that her victory came in part from the strong support of law enforcement throughout Iowa.

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“Brenna was an outstanding candidate and earned this victory through a hard-fought campaign,” RAGA chairman and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement celebrating Bird’s win.

“Nearly all of Iowa’s sheriffs, both Democrats and Republicans, endorsed AG-elect Bird, a former prosecutor, because she is focused on beefing up the criminal justice system, advocating for victims of crime, and standing up for law enforcement.

“She will also push back against the reckless policies coming out of Washington, D.C. or Des Moines that make it harder to lock up the bad guys and prevent law enforcement from doing their job,”

“Bird will make instant contributions to the ongoing legal efforts by Republican AGs trying to stop the Biden Administration from violating the Constitution and bastardizing the rule of law,” RAGA executive director Peter Bisbee added to the statement.

In her victory speech on Tuesday, Bird told her supporters that she would be supporting law enforcement and fighting crime as Iowa’s attorney general.

“I’ll tell you what, I am looking forward to the next four years. We are going to back the blue, we are going to help crime victims,” Bird said, according to the Des Moines Register.

Then, in a Wednesday tweet after the race had been officially called, Bird simply posted, “It’s time to get to work and fight for Iowa!”

It’s time to get to work and fight for Iowa!https://t.co/Yr2ohOF1ix

— IA Attorney General Elect Brenna Bird (@BrennaBird) November 9, 2022

Other Republicans were also successful in Iowa’s elections, the AP noted.

The GOP expanded its majority in the legislature, while Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds was re-elected and Republican Roby Smith won the contest for state treasurer.

Other races throughout the country have remained too close to call. The U.S. is still waiting on a handful of Senate races, many House races and some gubernatorial races as well, according to FiveThirtyEight.

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