Rita Hart

Rita Hart
Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party
Incumbent
Assumed office January 29, 2023
Preceded by	Ross Wilburn
Member of the Iowa Senate from the 49th district
In office January 14, 2013 – January 14, 2019
Preceded by	Hubert Houser
Succeeded by	Chris Cournoyer
Personal details
Born	(1956-05-05) May 5, 1956 (age 68) Charles City, Iowa, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Paul Hart
Children	5
Education	North Iowa Area Community College (AA) University of Northern Iowa (BA) University of Iowa (MA)
Website	Campaign website

Rita Hart (born May 5, 1956) is an American politician and retired educator who served as an Iowa State Senator from the 49th district from 2013 to 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Hart ran for lieutenant governor of Iowa on the Democratic ticket, with running mate Fred Hubbell.

Hart was her party's nominee in the 2020 election for Iowa's 2nd congressional district. Hart's opponent, Republican physician Mariannette Miller-Meeks, was certified as the winner by six votes, one of the closest federal elections in U.S. history. Hart opted to bypass the Iowa state court system and contest the election via a petition with the House Administration Committee under the 1969 Federal Contested Elections Act, which sets forth procedures for contesting state election results directly through the House of Representatives. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi provisionally seated Miller-Meeks on January 3, 2021, at the opening of the 117th Congress, pending the House's adjudication of Hart's petition to overturn the results of the race,^[1] but on March 31, 2021, Hart withdrew her challenge.^[2]

On January 29, 2023, Hart was elected to be the new chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.