Less than two weeks ago, it was reported that Border States Electric CEO Tammy Miller had been in Washington, DC amidst speculation she was considering jumping into the race for U.S. Senate. A source close to the situation now says that it’s no longer just a possibility, but that Miller is indeed set to join State Senator Tom Campbell in vying for the NDGOP nomination to take on Democratic incumbent Heidi Heitkamp in November’s 2018 General Election.
Miller seems to fit the mold of what the NDGOP is looking for– successful businesswoman, well-spoken, tremendous fund-raising potential, and charming. You can see some of this here and here. As you may recall, back in July, I wrote about the NDGOP also courting President of the State Board of Higher Education and Western North Dakota Geologist, Kathleen Neset . But I’m told that Neset is out and no longer considering a run.
While we have much to learn about where Miller stands on the issues, on the surface it appears she has everything necessary to put together a competitive campaign going into next year’s State Republican Convention. If she runs on a brand of conservatism that fits the NDGOP Platform and develops a solid ground game, Miller has the potential to be a force with delegates as a true “outsider”.
Last Friday, I wrote about the fact that President Donald Trump had called U.S. Congressman Kevin Cramer to encourage him to run for Senate. And I expressed the view that he is best positioned to beat Heitkamp. But make no mistake about it, should he decide to follow the urging of the President, his path is perhaps a bit tougher with Tammy Miller in the race. And even if Miller pulls off the upset at the convention, Cramer has proven in the past that he’s not afraid to just take his campaign to the primary election.
The odd man out in all of this may well be State Senator Tom Campbell– the only candidate to officially announce this far. And word is the Campbell campaign is none too happy with a Miller candidacy.
Campbell announced his candidacy way back in August and has been actively campaigning with a number of TV ads. With lack of state-wide name recognition, the State Senator from Grafton had little choice but to get in early, but the feeling among some was that it was too early. The risk associated with Campbell’s timing is wearing out the voters before primary elections even roll around– which is something I’ve heard complaints about already.
Things only stand to get more interesting as the pieces fall into place for the 2018 U.S. Senate race. Especially if Congressman Cramer jumps in. That decision would leave a wide open field for the Republicans in the U.S. House race against Democratic candidate and former State Legislator Ben Hanson, whose chances of winning aren’t good.
For now, we wait and watch to find out what U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Miller has to offer in terms of philosophy and policies when it comes to government. But if she plays her cards right, she may well be the darling of the State Republican Convention.
Sources:
1. https://www.sa
yanythingblog.com/e
ntry/republican-sources-say-border-states-electric-ceo-tammy-miller-visited-white-house-advance-possible-senate-run/ 2. http://m.startribune.com/a-quiet-supply-giant-spreads-the-wealth/177023551/
3. https://theminutemanblog.com/single-post/2017/07/08/Dont-Underestimate-Kathy-Neset-as-a-Candidate-for-US-Senate 4. https://www.ndgop.org/platform
5. http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/politics/4313171-graftons-tom-campbell-looks-unseat-heitkamp 6. https://theminutemanblog.com/single-post/2017/11/03/Move-Over-Tom-Campbell-Trump-Wants-Cramer-to-Run-for-Senate 7. https://issuu.com/areawoman/docs/aw_fm12/92
