East Central Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) insists his wife’s decision to enter the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Collinsville) in the 15th Congressional District without ever having held elected office was an easy one.

“She wants our kids and grandkids to recognize the country we grew up in and have a real chance at the American Dream,” Miller told the East Central Reporter. “Her biggest motivation comes from looking at the landscape of what’s going on in America with the radical left agenda, all the talk of socialism and remaking America to look like Venezuela.”

Mary Miller formally launched her campaign at the end of last month on a platform of ant-abortion and pro-Second Amendment rights. The Coles County farmer is on record as also favoring term limits and has insisted she is solidly in touch with the values and political vision of the people of her district.

Retiring U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Collinsville)

“I’ve been here for 40 years and I’m concerned about the direction of our country,” she told The News-Gazette. “We’re becoming more and more divided. I want to be a builder, and solution-oriented. I do believe we’re an exceptional country.”

Born in Oak Park and married to her husband for 39 years, Mary Miller said the final straw came for her when she realized that some of her seven children were thinking of moving away from Illinois because of the state's mounting fiscal issues, and taking some of her 16 grandchildren with them.

“Listen to all the rhetoric from the radical left,” Chris Miller said. “It’s a real concern and she wants to come along and work side by side with President Trump to keep the tax cuts permanent, build the wall and be part of the overall solution.”

With petition signatures due in early December, Miller said his wife plans to spend the next several weeks getting to know more voters and spreading her message. 

“We both would be representing a conservative district and everybody knows that’s who we are,” he said. “The people of the district are concerned about our freedoms being taken away and we’re ready to do everything we can to fight against that.”