Central Florida Republicans
State Rep. Miller of Winter Park aims to unseat Democrat
are queuing up to take on U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Winter Park, in 2018, so State Rep. Mike Miller, also of Winter Park, faces an internal skirmish for the chance.
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy pulled off an upset victory over an incumbent congressman in 2016. Now state Rep. Mike Miller looks to do the same to her next year, but he first has to navigate what could be a tough fight for his party’s nomination.
Murphy, D-Winter Park, is among the top Republican targets nationwide. Miller, a Republican from Winter Park, announced last month he was leaving Tallahassee and filing to run for Congress.
Murphy won the formerly Republican-leaning District 7 by 3 percentage points last year over 24-year incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. John Mica. It is one of the few congressional districts listed as “even” in 2018 by the Cook Political Report, which handicaps races.
But before he would face Murphy, Miller might face a primary that could be swayed by Republican-dominated Seminole County, with Seminole-based contenders possibly in the wings.
State Sen. David Simmons, 65, R-Altamonte Springs, said he was still “98 percent there” on running for Murphy’s seat in 2018. But he also wouldn’t rule out a run for state attorney general instead. He said his Senate district, which also includes all of Seminole, “is exceedingly similar to congressional District 7, and so that is a very appropriate opportunity for me.”
In response, Miller, 49, laughed and said he was “100 percent” in the race.
“I’ve served with David in the Florida Legislature. He is an honorable public servant and I do appreciate his experience and his legislative abilities,” he said. “I just think I’m more in touch with the average family in this district.”
Another potential Seminole
candidate is county Tax Collector Joel Greenberg. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Miller said that he looks as District 7 as a “regional seat,” not one anchored in any one county. “A lot of the things I’ve worked on in the Legislature, including homelessness, affordable housing — they don’t know county lines.”
He said Murphy is starting to be “pulled in different directions,” adding that he appreciated her experience in defense and foreign policy.
“Stephanie Murphy is pretending, she’s acting as if she is a moderate, but she, in fact, would have Nancy Pelosi to be Speaker of the House,” Miller said. “That right there shows you that the moderate conversation she’s having is not congruent with her party, and where she would be, were the Democrats in control.”
Murphy spokeswoman Sara Jensen cited the congresswoman’s background as a former national security specialist at the Department of Defense and her role on the House Armed Services Committee.
“Instead of launching partisan attacks, Stephanie is focused on the work the people of Central Florida elected her to do — bringing together both Democrats and Republicans to put people over politics and get results,” she said.
While Miller tied Murphy to Pelosi, Republican President Donald Trump could play an even bigger role in a midterm race, when ruling parties typically lose seats.
Asked about Trump, Miller said, “I’m not running for president, I’m running for Congress. … Is there historical precedence for the party in power to lose seats? Yes. But is this a usual election cycle? I’m betting it isn’t.”
He has walked a fine line in his Democrat-leaning state district, voting for open carry of guns and for allowing guns on campus but also being the only Republican state representative from Central Florida to vote against a bill allowing “fracking” for oil and gas.
He has faced criticism in the past for reversing himself on his 2014 pledge to support Medicaid expansion for Florida, which he later said would have relied on money that was not guaranteed by the federal government.
Miller wouldn’t say whether he would have voted for the Republican health care bill that passed the House by four votes, saying “rather than go back and give the answer about a bill that may not be going anywhere … I know what [Speaker] Paul Ryan was trying to do, but what I’m watching right now is a negotiation in real time.”
He said the House and Senate would work together to craft something that can pass both houses but stressed “we have to repeal and replace” Obamacare.
“That’s the baseline,” he said.