Brad Miller (congressman)

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Brad Miller
Brad Miller (congressman)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 13th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 3, 2003
Preceded by None (District Created After 2000 Census)
Born May 19, 1953 (1953-05-19) (age 55)
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Political party Democratic
Spouse Esther Hall
Religion Episcopalian

Ralph Bradley "Brad" Miller (born May 19, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina, currently representing the state's Thirteenth District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Contents

[edit] Earlier life and Education

Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Miller attended Terry Sanford Senior High in Fayetteville. He received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975, an M.A. from the London School of Economics in 1978, and a J.D. from Columbia University in 1979. After graduation he served as clerk to Judge J. Dickson Phillips, Jr of the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He practiced law in Raleigh and was a member of the North Carolina State House of Representatives from 1992 until 1994 and a member of the North Carolina State Senate from 1996 to 2002. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Miller helped pass legislation addressing racial profiling.[1]

[edit] Elections to Congress

In 2002, Miller was elected to represent North Carolina in the United States House of Representatives from the 13th district, a new seat allocated to North Carolina following the 2000 Census [2]. As Chairman of the State Senate Redistricting Committee, he helped to draw that district. Miller advanced from a crowded Democratic primary, which included former Congressman Robin Britt, to defeat Republican Carolyn Grant and a Libertarian candidate with roughly 55% of the vote. Grant later sued Miller alleging, among other things, that he and his campaign defamed her in an October 2002 television advertisement.[3] She later dropped the suit after she failed to comply with several court orders.

Miller was elected to his second term in the 2004 Congressional elections, earning 59% of the vote and defeating Republican Virginia Johnson.

In 2006, Miller's opponent was Vernon Robinson, a conservative African American politician who is a former city council member and current resident of Winston-Salem, North Carolina (outside the thirteenth congressional district). Robinson was able to garner national attention due to his bombastic and exaggerative rhetoric. [4], [5], [6] Robinson made several accusations against Miller, including that he was cutting money from troops to study the sex lives of prostitutes [7], that Miller was gay, despite having a wife [8], and that he was allowing illegal immigrants to sneak into America. [9]

Miller defeated Robinson in a lopsided 64% to 36% win, according to unofficial results. [10]

In 2007, Miller considered a run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Elizabeth Dole [11],[12] but decided against it. [13]

[edit] Congressional service

[edit] Committee Assignments

  • Financial Services Committee
    • Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
    • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
  • Foreign Affairs Committee
    • Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health
    • Subcommittee on Europe (Vice Chair)
  • Science and Technology Committee
    • Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight (Chairman)

In Congress, Miller has served on the House Financial Services Committee, where he has worked on protecting consumers against predatory mortgage lending. He has also served on the House Science and Technology Committee. In January 2007, Miller was named to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.[14] Soon thereafter, he was appointed chairman of the new Science and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.[15]

More recently, Miller worked closely with House leaders to help pass the contempt resolution regarding former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten. They were cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to appear or provide subpoenaed documents to the House Judiciary Committee seeking information on the U.S. Attorney firings.[16]

Miller co-founded and co-chairs the bipartisan congressional Community College caucus, which educates members of Congress on the importance of community colleges.[17] For his efforts, he was recognized with the Congressional Award from the Council for Resource Development. [18]

Miller is an occasional blogger at the DailyKos [19].

Miller and his wife are parishioners at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Raleigh, North Carolina.[20]

On May 8, 2008 he endorsed Barack Obama for President of the United States.

[edit] Quotes

  • "Eighty percent is not the bottom end. That’s the vast majority of workers not sharing in economic prosperity from production increases." (2006, to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke)
  • "With tax cuts going to the people who receive inherited wealth, can you identify a single policy of this Congress or the Bush Administration that appears directed at closing income inequality or the concentration of wealth?" (2006, also to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke)
  • "For four years, patriotic Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, have anguished over events in Iraq, and given deep and prayerful thought to alternatives. But the Bush Administration dismissed and insulted dissenters, and often made fierce attempts to discredit them. Not even General Eric Shinseki, the Chief of Staff of the Army, or James Baker, Secretary of State for the first President Bush, were spared. And the Bush Administration has treated criticisms of Members of Congress as meddling, as sticking our nose in their war. House Democrats have offered plan after plan to alter our course in Iraq, and House Republicans greeted every plan with strident attack." (February 16, 2007)

[edit] Source

[edit] References

  1. ^ Campaign website biography
  2. ^ http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/nc13_109.gif map
  3. ^ The News & Observer
  4. ^ newsobserver.com | Contest for 13th already strident
  5. ^ newsobserver.com | The birth of rumor ill-sired
  6. ^ newsobserver.com | Attacks fly fast in 13th debate
  7. ^ FactCheck.org: "XXX" Marks the Spot Where Campaign Ads Head South
  8. ^ newsobserver.com | Contest for 13th already strident
  9. ^ http://www.vernonrobinson.com/media/mariachiad.html
  10. ^ http://www.wral.com/news/10265615/detail.html
  11. ^ newsobserver.com | Miller looking at Senate race
  12. ^ Winston-Salem Journal
  13. ^ Draft dodger? | newsobserver.com projects
  14. ^ newsobserver.com | Speaker vote sparks talk of deal with GOP
  15. ^ newsobserver.com | Edwards says Iran must not get nuclear bomb
  16. ^ The Brad Blog : Breaking: Judiciary Committee Files Contempt Of Congress Report With House Clerk
  17. ^ Congressman Brad Miller : Home
  18. ^ Congressman Brad Miller : Home
  19. ^ Daily Kos :: Diaries
  20. ^ http://www.cgs-raleigh.org

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
None (District Created after 2000 Census)		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 13th congressional district
2003–Present		 Incumbent
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