Former Iowa State Representative Christina Bohannan (D) voted against legislation giving consumers greater control over their personal information while reportedly holding up to $280,000 of stock in three of the nation’s largest technology companies.
The Iowa Legislature approved the consumer data privacy measure by a 91-2 vote, with Bohannan one of only two voting against it.
The legislation gave Iowans the right to access and delete certain personal data, allowed consumers to opt out of targeted advertising and the sale of their personal information, and required certain large businesses to comply with consumer-data protection requirements.
Bohannan gave no explanation for her vote against it.
Her opponent, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), who is running for reelection to Congress, owns no individual stocks and voted for a ban on members of Congress buying and selling individual stocks.
Financial disclosures show Bohannan holds up to $280,000 worth of stock in Apple, Alphabet, and Meta. The way the information is published makes the exact amount unclear.
“This isn’t public service, this is corruption. Multimillionaire Christina Bohannan voted to protect big tech instead of standing up for Iowans because it padded her own pockets and allowed her to purchase another vacation home in Florida,” Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft alleged.
Bohannan has said she would divest her portfolio if elected and claimed she supports a ban on elected officials trading individual stocks.
Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor who served in the Iowa House from January 2021 until January 2023, is challenging Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District for the third consecutive election.
Bohannan’s votes in the Iowa House have repeatedly been an issue in the congressional campaign.
Breitbart News reported that Bohannan voted for legislation making it easier for certain registered sex offenders to seek removal from Iowa’s registry, breaking with 26 Democrats and declining to explain her vote.
She also opposed Iowa’s Back the Blue Act, urged donations to bail-assistance organizations, and said she had been “very active” in a group that sought to abolish ICE and establish sanctuary cities.
Bohannan additionally supported requiring implicit-bias training for applicants seeking certain healthcare licenses during a healthcare-worker shortage and warned that legislation limiting DEI practices in schools would make Iowa appear “backwards.”
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