Challenging District 15 Democratic representatives Margarette Leach, Kevin Craig, and Jim Morgan, Miller placed in the four-way three-selectee 2004 Republican primary, but lost the six-way three-position general election. (All the incumbents were reelected.)[citation needed]
Challenging the incumbents again, Miller placed in the six-way three-selectee 2006 Republican primary and was elected in the six-way three-position general election, unseating Leach. Craig and Morgan were reelected.[citation needed]
Miller placed first in the three-way Republican primary on May 13, 2008, with 2,116 votes (43.8%).[4] She then placed third in the six-way three-position general election, with 8,163 votes (18.2%), behind Craig and Morgan and ahead of non-selectee candidates Democrat Carl Eastham, and Republicans James Carden and Paula Stewart.[5]
Miller placed first in the three-way Republican primary on May 11, 2010, with 1,505 votes (44.4%).[6] She then placed second in the six-way three-position general election, with 6,601 votes (19.7%), behind Craig and ahead of Morgan and non-selectee candidates Democrat Matthew Woelfel, and Republicans Patrick Lucas and Douglas Franklin.[7]
With all three incumbent District 15 representatives redistricted to District 16, Miller placed first in the Republican primary on May 8, 2012, with 1,745 votes (19.6%).[8] She then placed second in the five-way three-position general election, with 8,415 votes (21.8%), behind Craig and ahead of Morgan and non-selectee candidates Democrat Sean Hornbuckle and Republican Mike Davis.[9]
On May 8, 2017, incumbent U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins announced his intention to run against incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin.[10] In August 2017, Miller announced her intention to run to fill Jenkins's seat.[11]
On May 8, 2018, Miller defeated State Delegate Rupie Phillips and State Delegate Marty Gearheart. She received 23.8% of the vote, and won three of the 18 counties in the district.[12][13] Miller went on to face State Senator Richard Ojeda.[14]
Many polling outlets considered this race Lean Republican or a tossup.[15][16] On November 6, Miller defeated Ojeda with 56.4% of the vote, winning all but two counties in the district.[17][18][19] Upon election, she became the first woman to represent West Virginia's 3rd congressional district and the only Republican woman to be elected to an open seat in 2018.[20][21]
As a result of redistricting after the 2020 United States Census, Miller's district was renumbered as the 1st district. With West Virginia losing a district, the state ended its longstanding scheme of numbering districts from north to south, instead having the 1st district in the south and the 2nd district in the north. Miller retained all the counties in the old 3rd, while gaining the ten southernmost counties from the old 2nd (including Kanawha County, home to Charleston) and one county from the old 1st. She announced on the day the map was finalized that she would run for reelection in the new 1st district.[24] On May 10, 2022, she won the Republican primary with 66% of the vote. She defeated perennial candidate Lacy Watson in the general election with 66.7% of the vote.[25]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, auto dealerships owned by Miller's husband received loans of over $3 million as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP); the loans were later forgiven.[30][31][32][33] Miller voted against the TRUTH Act (H.R. 6782), a bill that would have required public disclosure of companies that received funds through the bailout program.[34][35]
Miller owns a bison farm that she personally managed until she was elected to Congress.[42]
While serving in the House of Delegates, Miller taught a manners class to the elementary schools of Huntington. While doing that, she earned the nickname "Miss Manners".[43]
