Ginny Caligiuri (R-Osceola) is running to represent Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in Congress. She said she entered the race to bring biblical foundations back to the United States.
Caligiuri attempted to add her name to the June 5 primary ballot in the 2nd district, which spans 24 counties including Lee, Des Moines and Van Buren. But the signatures on her nominating petitions in two counties were successfully challenged, forcing her to run a district-wide write-in campaign.
Christopher Peters (R-Coralville) is the lone Republican on the ballot while incumbent Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa City) is running unopposed in his party's primary.
**NOTE – Tri States Public Radio interviewed Caligiuri on May 7, 2018.**
Caligiuri was born and raised in Texas, but she has lived in Iowa the past 25 years. She has a background in banking, with experience owning a retail business and a design company.
Caligiuri said she entered the race because she does not like the country's direction.
“My heart has always been to bring our nation back to our Judeo-Christian foundations,” said Caligiuri. “So that is a big interest of mine and a big concern of mine, the direction that our nation has gone. And now it looks like we have a window here or a doorway that we can work to get our nation turned back towards biblical foundations.”
Caligiuri said biblical foundations include opposition to abortion and a belief that marriage is between one man and one woman. She said she believes President Donald Trump is the right person to lead that effort.
She said she is not concerned about past indiscretions by President Trump, describing him as a “Baby Christian.”
“So I think we have to have some grace,” said Caligiuri. “I’m not saying excusing things that were done, but when we repent and turn from our ways, which [Trump] seems to have done, we are looking at things that he did in the past, not recent things, then I am for forgiveness.”
She said if elected, she would bring truth and integrity to office.
“I have a biblical foundation so everything that I vote on is going to go through my biblical filter and that is how I am going to answer things,” said Caligiuri.
She said her priority issues are protecting life, opposing any legislation that threatens the 2nd Amendment, and improving health care for veterans. She said veterans should be able to use local hospitals to receive the care they need.
Other Views:
- Caligiuri said instead of restricting access to guns, the U.S. needs to fix the family structure. “Families are split. We don’t have mothers and fathers in the home. We are not teaching values in school and we are not teaching values at home.”
- She said she would support more federal funding for mental health care, but no new regulations as far as how people receive care.
- Caligiuri said she supports the construction of a border wall with Mexico, President Trump’s travel ban, and proposals to end “chain migration.”
- She said President Trump should fire special prosecutor Robert Mueller for going way out of bounds and “conducting a witch hunt.”
- Caligiuri said the first step to address the federal deficit is to sit down and eliminate duplications of services in every federal department.
