MARYLAND (TIP): With opinion polls heavily favoring Democrats, Indian American Aruna Miller is likely to be elected as the next Lieutenant Governor of Maryland in November as best-selling author Wes Moore’s running mate.
In a competitive race for the nomination, army veteran Moore bested former Labor Secretary and DNC Chairman Tom Perez in addition to the Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot in the Democratic gubernatorial primary on Saturday, July 23. Moore and Miller will face Republican candidate Dan Cox — who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump — and his running mate Gordana Schifanelli in the November election. If the pair wins, Moore will become the first African-American governor of Maryland and Miller the first Indian American to be elected lieutenant governor of any state. Moore, who is also the former CEO of Robin Hood Foundation, said he was “absolutely ecstatic and humbled to go on this journey with Aruna Miller.” “On behalf of my family and my incredible running mate @ArunaMiller, THANK YOU,” he tweeted. “The stakes could not be higher, but together, we’ll meet this moment with urgency and leadership. Maryland WILL be a state where we leave no one behind.
#MooreForMaryland”
The Cook Political Report suggests that the Maryland governor’s race would be solidly Democrat, according to NBC News. If opinion polls hold, Moore would most likely succeed Republican Governor Larry Hogan.
Moore, who has never held or run for public office, has found a seasoned campaigner in Miller who has not only had unsuccessful runs for the party nomination for the US Congress in 2017 but also served two terms in the Maryland General Assembly. Both Moore and Miller have impeccable credentials outside of politics. Moore was a Rhodes Scholar, author, and entrepreneur while Miller is an engineer by training.
According to Moore, Miller “is a seasoned legislator who has fought for families in Montgomery County and across the entire state of Maryland in the House of Delegates.”
Born in Hyderabad, Miller immigrated to the United States when she was seven years old. She became a US citizen in 2000. Miller represented District 15 in the Maryland State House from 2010 to 2018 with four years on the House Ways and Means Committee and four years on the Appropriations Committee.
As a delegate, she worked to invest in STEM education, streamline the regulatory process for small businesses and was a champion for working families, survivors of domestic abuse, and the environment.
She worked for over 30 years as a civil and transportation engineer in Montgomery County helping improve the safety of the public and alleviate traffic, and creating equitable transportation access to connect people to opportunities. In her 2018 bid for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, Miller came in second out of eight candidates and earned endorsements from EMILY’s List, the National Education Association, Sierra Club, CASA of Maryland, 314 Action, End Citizens United, and others.
She lives in the 6th District with her husband David, and her mother Hema. Aruna and David have three adult daughters — Meena, Chloe, and Sasha.