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Republican candidate for Iowa's second district Mariannette Miller-Meeks is taking on Democratic candidate Rita Hart this fall. Each Iowa candidate on November's ballot was given the same list of questions to answer. To view all of the candidates, click here. Here are Miller-Meeks responses:What is your top priority if elected into office? Right now, the most important issue facing Iowa, and our country, is the crippling COVID-19 pandemic. As a doctor and former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, I have a lengthy career in medicine and in public health. The federal government needs to ensure that the states are getting the resources and funding they need to test, trace, and combat this virus. On top of it, the people of Iowa need an economic relief package. Our small businesses are struggling to stay open and people have become jobless. What previous experience has prepared you for this position? Nurse/ophthalmologist U.S. Army, 1974-82; U.S. Army Reserve, 1982-99, retired as lieutenant colonel; ophthalmology professor, University of Iowa, 1994-97; ophthalmologist, private practice, 1997-present; director, Iowa Department of Public Health, 2011-14; Iowa state senator, 2019-present.What has been your favorite quarantine activity? Walking. I enjoy exercising by walking along the Des Moines River levee most mornings in Ottumwa.What part of your response to the COVID-19 pandemic are you most proud of? I don't think it would be appropriate to pat ourselves on the back. Thousands of people have died, businesses have closed, people have become jobless, and entire livelihoods have been disrupted. We still have a lot of work to do to get this virus under control and get ourselves back to a sense of normalcy. Throughout this pandemic, I've helped people apply for stimulus checks, unemployment compensation, the Paycheck Protection Program, secure personal protective equipment, delivered meals to the elderly, and our campaign has helped distribute information to individuals about the virus. To learn more about what individuals can do, they can visit our website at millermeeks2020.com. What response to the COVID-19 pandemic would you change? Of course, we can't change the past but moving forward, we know what we need to do when an event like this occurs again. We should bring back manufacturing to the United States; especially when it comes to pharmaceuticals, protective equipment, and medical devices. We should set up a public mobile health task force that is ready to be deployed for testing and contact tracing. And we should also address how we supply our strategic stockpile reserve. These are just a few things we can do differently in the future.What is your favorite Iowa tradition? Harvest season. I love seeing the combines take in the corn and soybeans, especially at night. I really love to see them working under the moon’s glow see the headlights of the combines and trucks moving through the fields because it means they’re reaping the rewards of another year’s hard work.How do you define social inequity and how do you plan to address it in Iowa communities? Social inequity is the unequal distribution of resources, and it happens for many reasons. Growing up in a poor family with eight children and few opportunities, I left home at 16 to enter community college on my own and enlisted in the Army at 18. I became a nurse and, eventually, an ophthalmologist, but I seen firsthand and lived with the cruel effects of social inequity. That’s why I’m committed to helping others experiencing social, racial, financial and other inequities to overcome the barriers they face and reach their full potential. The solution begins with recognizing social inequity remains a serious problem in our country. I will work to create more, better and diverse educational opportunities; jobs and skills training programs that prepare young people for good-paying jobs and successful careers, and more mentoring opportunities to help young people succeed no matter how difficult of a start they have. When looking at every individual we need to recognize that it’s not where we start in life, it’s where we finish. As a member of Congress, I will be committed to supporting those approaches and others to lift others up.What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Iowa farmers and how do you plan to support them if elected?Ethanol waivers to oil refineries that have reduced the demand for Iowa corn and depressed prices, unfair trade deals, and the theft of intellectual property are all serious challenges facing Iowa farmers. I called for President Trump to change the leadership at the top of the Environmental Protection Agency last year so that Big Oil has to live up to the Renewal Fuel Standard’s letter and spirit of the law by blending all of the ethanol it should – including billions of gallons more – into gasoline. I will work within the legislative branch and with the executive branch, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to address all three of these challenges.For more information about Miller-Meeks, check out her website.