Mary Miller (politician)
Mary E. Miller (née Meyer; born August 27, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 15th congressional district since 2021. She serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Education & Labor. Miller is a member of the Freedom Caucus and has been described as on the "far right" of the Republican Party. Early life and education Born in Oak Park, Illinois, to Annette (Jesh) and Harvey Meyer, Miller graduated from Naperville Central High School in Naperville, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business management and did some graduate coursework in education at Eastern Illinois University, but did not complete a graduate degree. U.S. House of Representatives Elections 2020 Miller announced her candidacy to represent in the United States House of Representatives in the 2020 elections to succeed retiring incumbent John Shimkus. She won the Republican Party nomination, the real contest in Illinois's most Republican district, and won the general election with over 70% of the vote. Miller focused her campaign on providing support to farming and bringing manufacturing back to Illinois. Miller sided with President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 presidential election was compromised by voter fraud, calling it "tainted". 2022 In May 2022, the Washington Examiner criticized Miller for employing Bradley Graven, "a man convicted of soliciting sex with a minor, to assist with her re-election campaign." Graven was also seen driving Miller around, raised money for her campaign, and was reportedly responsible for collecting over half the signatures needed to qualify her for the ballot. After the 2020 redrawing of the Illinois electoral map, Miller won the June 2022 Republican primary by approximately 14 points against fellow incumbent Rodney Davis, whose more moderate views became a liability in the newly redrawn 15th district. Miller had also been endorsed by Donald Trump; Davis had supported the ultimately unsuccessful formation of a January 6 commission in May 2021. Redistricting left her home in Oakland just outside the district. Members of the House are required only to live in the state they represent. Tenure On January 6, 2021, when Congress met to formally count the votes of the Electoral College and certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, Miller was one of the members of the House of Representatives who objected to the votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania. Committee assignments For the 118th Congress: Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Caucus memberships Freedom Caucus Republican Study Committee Political positions Miller is a member of the Freedom Caucus and has been described as being on the "far right" of the Republican Party. LGBT rights On March 2, 2021, Miller introduced the Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act, which would ban transgender girls in schools from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. Miller criticized House Speaker Nancy