The Woman Chairman: Who Is Candice Miller?

Earlier this week, The Brenner Brief reported on the all male GOP committee chairmen in the U.S. House of Representatives, and our concern about the optics of that move.

On Friday, Speaker John Boehner’s office announced that he was appointing Representative Candice Miller of Michigan to chair the Committee on House Administration. She does not currently serve on that committee — no women do.

Speaker Boehner‘s office said:

From ensuring the House runs efficiently and smoothly, to making Congress more open and accessible, Candice has a big job ahead as chairman of the House Administration Committee. In her new post, Candice will provide the leadership needed to keep operating costs down, save taxpayer dollars, and help lawmakers use new technology to better engage with their constituents. And her experience as Michigan Secretary of State will be invaluable given the committee’s oversight of campaign finance and election laws.

Having helped implement new legislative data standards, approved the use of new low-cost digital tools for Members of Congress, and more, the House Administration Committee has been at the forefront of many of our open government initiatives. I know we’ll continue to make big advances with Candice at the helm.

Great. So, who is Candice Miller?

From 1994-2002, Miller was Michigan Secretary of State. Prior to that, she was elected as a township trustee in 1979, and then was the youngest person elected to be the Supervisor in her township in 1980. In 1992, she became the first Republican to win county-wide office in her home county in 60 years when she won the treasurer’s post. She was elected to Congress in 2003. Clearly, Miller has depth as an elected official.

At the moment, Miller is a primary sponsor on 17 bills, and a co-sponsor on 226 bills. In September, Miller introduced H.R. 6386:

To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require an individual who applies for a motor vehicle driver’s license in a new State to indicate whether the new State is to serve as the individual’s residence for purposes of registering to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.

It was referred to a committee and subcommittee in September, and there has not been any action on the bill since. The remainder of the bills she is sponsoring appear not to be controversial. However, one of her bills passed the House Nov. 27.

According to GovTrack.us, Miller is a “rank-and-file” Republican who has missed 1.3% of the roll-call votes (compared to the 2.5% median).

Miller has signed on to Grover Norquist‘s “no tax” pledge, so she is committed to opposing tax increases.

In April, Rep. Miller voted for a bill that was opposed by the ACLU and other civil liberties organizations — the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. The bill passed the House, but has not become law.

Congresswoman Miller is not a member of the Tea Party Caucus.

She supported the auto bailout, but voted against the legislation that created TARP.

Furthermore, according to That’s My Congress, Miller has a “progressive” rating of 9 out of 100, and a “conservative” rating of 52 out of 100.

It appears that Miller is a solid, relatively moderate Republican with many years of elected experience. She has previous experience chairing a sub-committee, and will begin her chairmanship for the full committee on House Administration in the 113th Congress.

While her appointment may be viewed as a “token” promotion by some, Rep. Miller is clearly qualified to hold this post and has vast experience in the House and politics. While it is an unusual move for a chairman to be appointed without having served on the committee previously, one may hope that Speaker Boehner understands the importance of including some of the well-qualified, experienced, thoughtful and steadfast women in Republican leadership positions within the House.

Boehner Appoints Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) to Chair House Administration Committee (speaker.gov)
After criticism, GOP adds woman to chair House committee (firstread.nbcnews.com)
John Boehner appoints Candice Miller as committee chair, is branded misogynist (twitchy.com)
Boehner finally appoints a chairwoman to run a House committee (tv.msnbc.com)
House Republicans find a woman in their ranks (maddowblog.msnbc.com)

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About the Author

Sara Marie Brenner - Sara Marie Brenner is the Creator and Editor of TheBrennerBrief.com. An experienced grassroots rebel-rouser, writer, political organizer, and online outreach specialist, Brenner founded the site to be a place where people passionate about rendering the mainstream media useless could have a platform to share their beliefs. Whether it's an op-ed or investigative piece, The Brenner Brief's contributors are well-versed and dedicated to the cause. Brenner hosts a weekly radio show called "The Brenner Brief" -- don't miss it. She is also the Founder of PolitiGalNetwork.com and EngageStrategies.net. She is a city councilwoman and her husband is a State Representative, and they are both politically involved in Ohio. In addition, Brenner works with a journalism non-profit organization just outside of Washington, D.C. managing strategic outreach projects include online outreach, blogger recruitment/training, relationship development, CRM integration, social media strategy, and engagement strategies. She is a contributor to Human Events, RedState, Yahoo! Voices, Watchdog Wire, iCrowd and Social Media Today.