Ken Miller is a

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

business owner and former Republican member of the

Montana State Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Composition of the Senate :''67th Legislature – 2021–202 ...

. He served as Chairman of the

Montana Republican Party The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Montana. It is headquartered in Helena, Montana, Helena. The party is chaired by Don Kaltschmidt. The national committeeman is curr ...

from 2001–2003 and was a candidate for the Republican nomination for

Governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of MontanaMontana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Montana National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

in the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

Personal life

Miller was raised on a dairy farm in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

until 1974 when his family moved to

Joliet, Montana Joliet is a town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 577 at the 2020 census. History The construction of the Rocky Fork & Cooke City Railway in 1892 mad ...

. In 1979 he started a construction and roofing business which he ran with his wife until 2001. Currently he and his family operat
Laurel Furniture Outlet
in

Laurel, Montana Laurel is a city in Yellowstone County, Montana, United States. It is the third largest community in the Billings Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is located in the Yellowstone Valley, as an east–west terminal division point of the Burlingto ...

. In 1980 he married his wife, Peggy. The couple has two children, Max and Kyndall.

Political career

In 1994 Miller was elected to the Montana State Senate in a traditionally democratic district which was previously represented by

Chet Blaylock Chester Merle "Chet" Blaylock (November 13, 1924 – October 23, 1996) was a U.S. politician born in Joliet, Montana. Blaylock served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Later he was a teacher for 30 years in Laurel and Chinook, Montana. He was ...

, a respected Montana political veteran and the Democratic nominee for governor in 1996. Miller served in the Senate for 8 years, where he counts among his legislative accomplishments working to privatize state liquor stores and helping reduce the coal severance tax. Miller also served as chairman of the Montana Republican Party from 2001–2003 and saw significant majorities in both houses of the State Legislature. In 2004, Miller sought the Republican nomination for governor when

Judy Martz Judith Helen Martz (née Morstein; July 28, 1943 – October 30, 2017) was an American Republican Party politician, businesswoman, and Olympian speed skater who served as the 22nd governor of Montana from 2001 to 2005. She was the first and only ...

announced that she would not seek a second term. In a crowded primary he garnered 22% of the vote in an election ultimately won by Secretary of State

Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasman ...

Political positions

Miller has gained a reputation as a conservative Republican; he is pro-life and an advocate for Second Amendment Rights and lower taxes. He has also taken conservative positions on immigration, entitlements, education, and the federal government's involvement in managing the wolf population in Montana. In a 2010 op-ed in the

Billings Gazette The ''Billings Gazette'' is a daily newspaper based in Billings, Montana that primarily covers issues in southeast Montana and parts of northern Wyoming. Historically it has been known as the largest newspaper in Montana and is geographically one ...

, Miller called for Montanans to support a ballot initiative that would call for a Montana Constitutional Convention, calling the current document "conflicting and ambiguous."

References

External links

* http://miller4governor.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Ken Living people Republican Party Montana state senators People from Colorado State political party chairs of Montana Year of birth missing (living people)