Democrats pushing Ross Miller to run for 3rd Congressional District

By Kyle Roerink

Published Thursday, June 18, 2015 | 11:30 a.m.

Updated Thursday, June 18, 2015 | 2:58 p.m.

National Democrats are pushing former Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller to campaign for the 3rd Congressional District seat that U.S. Rep. Joe Heck is expected to vacate to make a Senate run.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee met with Miller this week about running and confirmed it is wooing him as a “blue chip” recruit for the 2016 race.

Miller, who has deep ties to state and national Democrats, would give the party a strong candidate.

Miller, the son of former Nevada governor Bob Miller, served two terms as secretary of state and has long been considered a candidate for higher office. Last year, he ran for attorney general but lost to Republican Adam Laxalt.

The district includes much of Henderson and Summerlin and will likely be vacated by Heck, who has signaled he will run for Harry Reid’s U.S. Senate seat next year. Reid is not seeking another term.

Miller, 39, was the youngest person ever elected as Nevada secretary of state. He also served as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, a nonpartisan group that works on election, business and securities policies.

Miller pushed for more disclosure of political gifts and measures to prevent voter fraud.

Before winning state office, he served as Clark County deputy district attorney. Since leaving office, Miller has returned to legal work and is a partner at the Las Vegas firm Gentile, Cristalli, Miller, Armeni, Savarese.

Miller was not immediately available for comment.

The state Democratic Party campaigned hard for Miller in his 2014 attorney general run. The party signaled it would do the same for a potential congressional run.

“If he chooses to run for Congress, Ross would be an excellent candidate who will focus on expanding the middle class and increasing economic opportunity for every Nevadan,” Zach Hudson, state party spokesman, said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which aims to win seats for the party nationwide, scoffed at Miller’s potential run.

“It’s laughable that the DCCC’s top recruit was rejected by Nevada voters just last November,” NRCC spokesman Zach Hunter said. “If Miller is the best they can do, then 2016 will be another rough year for Democrats in the 3rd District.”

But the DCCC’s mobilizing efforts show a strong commitment to winning a seat that’s eluded the party. Only one Democrat, Dina Titus, has won the district. Titus, who now represents the 1st Congressional District, served from 2009 to 2011 before Heck ousted her.

Last year, Heck beat Democrat Erin Bilbray by a 24 percent margin.

Miller won the district in his elections for secretary of state and got 48 percent of the vote there in his run for attorney general.

That history could make him a strong contender in a presidential year in which Democrats, anchored by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and a growing Latino demographic, are the early favorite in federal races.

Republicans considering running for Heck’s seat are state Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson and Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers.

Roberson, who has close ties to Gov. Brian Sandoval and helped pass a series of education reforms and a more than $1.1 billion state budget increase, could be a formidable opponent.

Roberson has a wide network of donors, strong statewide ties and a strong record as a legislative leader. He could, however, face a backlash for ushering in the state’s largest ever tax increase.

Beers, who was originally running to take Reid’s seat but bowed out after the senior senator announced his retirement, is a no-new-tax Republican.