U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., announced on Thursday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2016 and will stay in the U.S. House working on reforming the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Miller, the chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, had opened the door to running in the Republican primary to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 2016. Rubio is running for the Republican presidential nomination and has said he will not seek a second term in the Senate.
On Thursday, Miller noted his bill giving the VA secretary more flexibility to fire incompetent employees passed the House but was facing a veto threat from President Barack Obama. He said reforming the VA was more important than his Senate ambitions.
“Yesterday, my VA Accountability Act passed the House of Representatives under the shadow of a veto threat from the president,” Miller said on Thursday. “It became clear to me that this administration is not committed to reforming the VA. My personal commitment to the veterans of this country is greater than my desire to seek higher office.
“I have made the determination that I can best serve veterans as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and the member from the 1st District of Florida,” Miller added. “I have decided to forgo my candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2016 and instead continue my efforts to reform the toxic culture within the VA. Vicki and I have prayed about this for weeks, and we feel that we have come to the best decision. We appreciate the outpouring of support from our family, friends, and supporters from all across the great state of Florida and throughout the nation.”
With Miller out, the current Republican primary field includes U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Rep. David Jolly, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and businessman Todd Wilcox. Former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho are both possible Republican primary candidates.
U.S. Reps. Alan Grayson and Patrick Murphy join attorney Pam Keith in running for the Democratic nomination. Republican strategist Roger Stone, currently advising Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, could run on the Libertarian line.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
Comments
Hope I helped you decide Jeff
So, C Breeze, you been
Congressman Jeff Miller is
You're right Aletta except he
NOW DAYS HAVE BEEN THRU SO
Old Jeff wants to keep his