这位摇摆选区候选人还对效忠誓言法案提出质疑，并因支持《1619计划》遭到批评
2026年8月10日 美国东部时间上午9:53 / 福克斯新闻
福克斯新闻独家报道： 一名爱荷华州民主党人正寻求在重赛中拿下美国竞争最激烈的众议院席位之一，她在2021年1月6日国会山骚乱后几周发布的一份近期重新浮出水面的通讯中，将爱国主义描述为“敏感且具争议性”，同时还对效忠誓言的含义提出质疑。
前爱荷华州众议员克里斯蒂娜·博安南来自艾奥瓦城，她正对阵现任共和党议员玛丽安妮特·米勒-米克斯。她还批评了爱荷华州一项最终获得她支持的法案背后的政治考量——该法案要求学童背诵效忠誓言，并敦促艾奥瓦州民众批判性思考效忠誓言的意义。
“我承认爱国主义是一个敏感且具争议性的话题，”博安南在2021年由她州议会办公室发布的通讯中写道，同时她表示自己仍是爱国者。
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“许多进步人士已经背离了它。我理解他们的观点，尤其是当爱国主义的概念被另一方如此利用和扭曲的时候，”她在谈及共和党时写道。
这份通讯重新浮出水面之际，最新民调显示两党在爱国主义展示问题上存在分歧。美联社6月发布的民调发现，约六成民主党人和独立人士表示从不悬挂美国国旗，而约七成共和党人称至少在节假日会悬挂国旗。
博安南写道，正确的观点是“不要将爱国主义拱手让人”，而是要将其定义恢复为对“美国民主理想的信念，以及为实现这些理想而奋斗的意愿”。
博安南随后批评了2021年2月由共和党主导的一项法案，该法案最终获得通过，要求公立学校和部分私立学校背诵效忠誓言。
博安南的竞选经理丹·德里斯科尔告诉福克斯新闻数字频道：“克里斯蒂娜绝对支持她的投票，支持在爱荷华州学校要求背诵效忠誓言，她也热烈捍卫爱国主义以及我们国家和民主的伟大之处。”
“这就是为什么她若进入国会，将采取实际行动：整顿华盛顿、实施任期限制、将企业资金赶出我们的选举，让政府真正为艾奥瓦州民众服务——而不像米勒-米克斯议员那样，靠着数百万美元的特殊利益集团捐款当选，却投票抬高药品、医疗和能源价格。”
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该法案以91票赞成、3票反对、6票弃权获得通过，博安南投了赞成票，但她在同一篇通讯中也表达了保留意见。
“很明显，我们选区摇摆不定的许多民主党议员如果投‘反对’票，将面临失去席位的风险，”博安南写道。“即便这些议员投了赞成票，如果我们党团其他成员投‘反对’，他们仍会因此受到追责。爱国主义的概念就是如此根深蒂固。”
“但我们可以以符合我们价值观的方式重新定义这个议题。”
爱荷华州民主党议员承认对“白人特质”感到不适，以期拿下竞争激烈的众议院席位
（图片：美国国旗飘扬 福克斯新闻）
博安南当时在议会发言中表示，她支持该法案并非因为希望孩子们“机械地”背诵誓言，而是希望给他们机会“批判性思考”他们所说的内容，以及美国是否“践行了这些誓言”。
“例如，效忠誓言不仅是对国旗的承诺，更是对其所代表的共和国的承诺。因此，我们的孩子可能会问，当我们的领导人未能谴责那些破坏我们民主的人时，我们的共和国能否存续下去。”
曾担任陆军中校和军医的米勒-米克斯告诉福克斯新闻数字频道：“爱国主义对我来说从未有过争议，无论是在我为国家服役的24年里，还是现在。”
“博安南和她的民主社会主义盟友可以将热爱美国称为‘有争议的’，但他们没有资格代表爱荷华州民众，”米勒-米克斯说道。
共和党全国委员会发言人扎克·克拉夫特表示，鉴于博安南此前因支持左翼亲多元化、公平性和包容性（DEI）的《1619计划》而引发争议，她的此番言论并不意外。
“多元化、公平性和包容性之母”竞选国会，因在播客中称农村州“落后”遭抨击
“也只有‘多元化、公平性和包容性之母’克里斯蒂娜·博安南才会憎恨美国，”克拉夫特告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。
“只有像克里斯蒂娜·博安南这样真正的‘觉醒战士’，才会觉得爱国主义令人反感，却认为称爱荷华州民众因信奉基本生物学而‘落后’毫无问题。”
博安南曾反对一项在全州学校和大学禁止多元化和“隐性偏见”培训的法案，称如果该法案通过，爱荷华州可能会变得“落后”。
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“我认为如果该法案通过，将会造成严重分裂。我认为这将向外界传递一个非常糟糕的信息，即爱荷华州似乎是一个落后的州，不理解系统性种族主义这类问题。”
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米勒-米克斯2022年以约6个百分点的优势击败博安南，而2024年民主党人以微弱劣势落败，此次选举触发了重新计票，最终共和党人以约800票的优势连任。
该选区包括达文波特和拥有爱荷华大学的艾奥瓦城，与西部扎克·纳恩议员的选区一同竞争该州竞争最激烈的众议院席位头衔。
福克斯新闻数字频道的伊莱恩·马伦为本报道贡献了内容。
Battleground Dem called patriotism ‘sensitive and controversial’ during debate over the Pledge of Allegiance
The swing-district challenger also questioned the Pledge of Allegiance bill and drew criticism for backing the 1619 Project
August 10, 2026 9:53am EDT / Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: An Iowa Democrat seeking to flip one of the nation’s most competitive House seats in a rematch described patriotism as “sensitive and controversial” while also questioning the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance in a recently resurfaced newsletter she published in the weeks after the January 6 Capitol riot.
Former Iowa State Rep. Christina Bohannan of Iowa City, who is running against incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, also criticized the politics around an Iowa bill she ultimately supported that mandated the Pledge of Allegiance for schoolchildren, urging Iowans to think critically about what the pledge means.
“I acknowledge that patriotism is a sensitive and controversial subject,” Bohannan wrote in a 2021 newsletter put out by her State House office, while saying she remains patriotic herself.
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“Many progressives have turned away from it. And I see the point, especially when the concept of patriotism has been so co-opted and distorted by the other side,” she wrote of Republicans.
The newsletter has resurfaced as recent polling shows a partisan divide over displays of patriotism. AP polling released in June found that about six in 10 Democrats and independents said they never fly the American flag, while roughly seven in 10 Republicans said they display it at least on holidays.
Bohannan wrote that the right viewpoint is to “not cede patriotism to anyone” but instead restore its definition as a belief in “democratic ideals of America and a willingness to fight to make those ideals a reality.”
Bohannan went on to critique a February 2021 Republican-led bill, which ultimately passed, requiring the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public and certain private schools.
Bohannan’s campaign manager, Dan Driscoll, told Fox News Digital that “Christina absolutely stands by her vote to require the Pledge of Allegiance in Iowa schools and her passionate defense of patriotism and the greatness of our country and democracy.”
“That’s why in Congress she’ll put that into action by fighting to clean up Washington, enacting term limits and getting corporate money out of our elections, so our government focuses on working for Iowans — unlike Rep. Miller-Meeks who is funded by millions in special interest contributions while voting to raise drug, healthcare and energy costs.”
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The bill passed 91-3-6 with Bohannan in favor, but she wrote about her reservations in the same newsletter.
“It was clear that many of our Democratic members in swing districts would risk their seats for voting ‘no’ on this bill,” Bohannan wrote. “And even if those members voted for it, they would still be held accountable if other members of our caucus voted ‘no’. That is how deep the concept of patriotism runs.”
“But we can reframe the issue in a way that is true to our values.”
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American Flag waving(Fox News)
Bohannan said in floor remarks at the time that she supported the bill not because she wanted children to “mechanically” recite the oath but because she wanted to give them the opportunity to “think critically” about the words they are saying and whether the U.S. is “living up to them.”
“For example, the pledge is not just to the flag, but to the republic for which it stands. So our kids might ask whether our republic can last when our leaders fail to denounce those who subvert our democracy.”
Miller-Meeks, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and medic, told Fox News Digital that patriotism “has never been controversial to me, not in the 24 years I served this country and not now.”
“Bohannan and her DSA allies are free to call loving America ‘controversial,’ but they have no business representing Iowa,” Miller-Meeks said.
Zach Kraft, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said Bohannan’s comments were predictable in light of prior controversial support she offered for the left-wing pro-DEI “1619 Project.”
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Christina Bohannan, candidate for Iowa’s first congressional district, listens during a roundtable on affordable housing Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa.(Iowa City Press-Citizen)
“Leave it to the Queen of DEI to hate America,” Kraft told Fox News Digital.
“Only a true… woke warrior like Christina Bohannan could find patriotism offensive but see nothing wrong with calling Iowans backwards for believing in basic biology.”
Bohannan warned against a bill prohibiting diversity and “implicit bias” training at schools and universities statewide, calling the Hawkeye State potentially “backward” if it passed.
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“I think that it is going to be very divisive if passed. I think that it’s going to send a very bad message about Iowa and that it is going to seem like are kind of this backwards state that doesn’t understand there are things like systemic racism.”
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Miller-Meeks previously defeated Bohannan by about six percentage points in 2022, but the Democrat narrowly lost in 2024 in a race that triggered a recount and resulted in the Republican being re-elected by about 800 votes.
The district, which includes Davenport and Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa, is competing with Rep. Zach Nunn’s district to the west for the distinction of being the most competitive in the state.
Fox News Digital’s Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.