Suzanne Miles (born November 18, 1970) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from her native

Owensboro Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, who represents the 7th District ( Daviess,

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, and

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counties) in the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

Early life and education

Miles graduated from Apollo High School in Owensboro, and continued her education at

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

in Lexington, Kentucky. During her senior year at Transylvania, Miles became a small business owner when she purchased a clothing store in Owensboro, Kentucky. Shortly after graduating from Transylvania, Miles began working at Town and Countrywear Ladies Clothing and Accessories, which she owned and operated until 2008. Miles continues to live in Owensboro to this day.

Political career

Miles won her position in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

held on December 10, 2013. She defeated

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Kim Humphrey of

Morganfield Morganfield is a home rule-class city in Union County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 3,285 as of the year 2010 U.S. census. Name The city was named for Revolutionary War General Daniel Morg ...

in Union County, 3,548 (50.8 percent) to 3,436 votes (49.2 percent). Miles's narrow victory was propelled by her strong showing in her own Daviess County in western Kentucky, where she and her father, Billy Joe Miles, are well known. She beat Humphrey 2,564 to 976 in Daviess County.Ryan Alessi, "Republican Suzanne Miles wins House seat from Democrats in another 7th District squeaker", ''cn, 2 Pure Politics'', December 10, 2013 The seat opened when Democrat John Arnold, Jr., of Sturgis in Union County resigned in September amid allegations that he had

sexually harassed Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

legislative staffers. Arnold had won the seat by only five votes over the Republican Tim Kline in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

held on November 6, 2012. Prior to her election to the legislature, Miles had been a district representative for

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Brett Guthrie Steven Brett Guthrie (born February 18, 1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for . The district is in central Kentucky and includes Fort Knox, Owensboro, Bowling Green, and Danville. Guthrie previou ...

Kentucky's 2nd congressional district Kentucky's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in west central Kentucky, the district includes Bowling Green, Owensboro, Elizabethtown, and a portion of eastern Louisville. The district ...

. Miles became the 46th Republican in the Kentucky House, the highest strength her minority party has held in the chamber since 1921.

References

1970 births Living people Politicians from Owensboro, Kentucky Businesspeople from Kentucky Republican Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Women state legislators in Kentucky Transylvania University alumni 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians {{Kentucky-politician-stub