Running for Congress is more of a marathon than a sprint, but in the age of sound bites and nationally financed advertising, the early stages of the race can be difficult to remember, much less the race two years ago.

But while you cannot win the election in June, you can create an image that makes winning in November problematic, and that’s the case facing Mariannette Miller-Meeks in her run to unseat Dave Loebsack as the U.S. Representative from Iowa’s 2nd District.

Miller-Meeks is from Ottumwa, and swayed by her local roots and moderate views, this newspaper endorsed her initial run for the 2nd Congressional seat two years ago.

Meanwhile Loebsack carried Wapello County along with the rest of the district to earn his second term, and then went about his business of putting himself in front of his constituents at town hall meetings and other events during his regular trips home from D.C.

The tone of this year’s election is far different from two years ago. It’s different from a variety of perspectives, not the least of which is the Tea Party reaction to the new administration that swept into office in 2008.

This year’s political partisanship has ratcheted up the campaign vehemence with terms such as “fired” and “eliminated” when the subject is incumbents, and Miller-Meeks has shed her moderate views to match the times.

She has made much of her refusal to buy medical insurance. She has voiced support for the “fair tax” that even her own party’s experts acknowledge would be anything but fair to middle class Americans. But in all that politicking one thing stands out in her campaign. Back in the earliest days of this race, she said if she lost this time she’d move to the East Coast.

Voters don’t have to worry about Loebsack’s commitment to Iowa and Iowans. While he’s as prone to the evils of lobbyists, perks and potential isolation that are pervasive within the Beltway of Washington, he has serviced this district as a congressman should.

And when he returns home to the district every weekend, he’s not just making treks to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Loebsack has consistently made his way back to all 15 counties in the district, meeting routinely with residents and local officials, working on numerous issues important to southeast Iowa.

He’s open and he listens. He has helped constituents unravel the federal red tape and negotiate the maze of bureaucratic government. That’s what congressional representatives should do and Loebsack has.

He has voted his conscience on issues that have been made divisive in this current environment, such as health care reform, but it was that same conscience and quest for fairness that earned him the job in the first place.

Loeback has been a champion of the military and veterans. He fought vigorously for a new VA clinic in Ottumwa and introduced the National Guard Education Equality Act to help 30,000 members of the National Guard receive their full education benefits. The congressman has also traveled overseas to witness the efforts our troops are making in Afghanistan and Iraq, committed to their success.