Mary Miller Bio
Mary Elizabeth Miller (née Meyer; born August 7, 1959) is an American politician and farmer serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois’s 15th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she has been described as being on the far right of the GOP and is a member of the Freedom Caucus. She serves on the House Committees on Agriculture, Education and Labor, and House Administration. In addition to her congressional duties, Miller owns and operates a grain and cattle farm in Oakland, Illinois, with her husband.
First elected in 2020 to succeed retiring incumbent John Shimkus, Miller won her Republican primary with strong margins and captured the general election with more than 70 percent of the vote. She has emphasized agricultural and manufacturing issues throughout her campaigns and has continued to advocate for those priorities in Washington, D.C.
Early Life and Background
Mary Elizabeth Miller was born on August 7, 1959, in Oak Park, Illinois. She is the daughter of Annette Meyer (née Jesh) and Harvey Meyer. Miller spent her formative years in Illinois, growing up in a family environment that shaped her later interest in business and education.
She graduated from Naperville Central High School in Naperville, Illinois, where she completed her secondary education. Following high school, Miller pursued higher education at Eastern Illinois University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in business management. She also completed graduate coursework in education at the same institution, reflecting her interest in both business operations and teaching.
Path to US Politics
Before entering politics, Miller built a career rooted in agriculture and family life. She and her husband, state representative Chris Miller, own a farm in Oakland, Illinois, where they grow grain and raise cattle. This hands-on experience in farming gave her a practical understanding of agricultural issues, which would later become central to her political platform.
Miller’s transition to politics came when she announced her candidacy to represent Illinois’s 15th congressional district in the 2020 elections. The seat was opening up because longtime incumbent John Shimkus was retiring. She won the Republican nomination, which was considered the real contest in the heavily Republican district, and went on to win the general election decisively.
Mary Miller Career
Early Career (2021–2022)
Mary Miller began her tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3, 2021. Almost immediately, she drew national attention for quoting Adolf Hitler during a speech to the conservative group Moms for America on January 5, 2021. She said, “Hitler was right on one thing: he said, ‘Whoever has the youth has the future.’” The remarks were widely condemned by groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the World Jewish Congress, as well as by fellow politicians including Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker and Representative Adam Kinzinger. Miller apologized two days later, stating her words had been twisted.
On January 6, 2021, Miller was among the House members who objected to the certification of Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania. In 2022, she sponsored legislation including the Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act, which sought to ban transgender girls from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity in schools. She also co-sponsored bills related to birthright citizenship and H-1B visa reform during her first term.
2022 Election and Redistricting (2022)
Following the 2020 redrawing of Illinois’s electoral map, Miller faced fellow incumbent Rodney Davis in the June 2022 Republican primary. Backed by an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, Miller won the primary by approximately 14 points. Davis had supported the formation of a January 6 commission, which became a liability in the newly drawn 15th district. Although redistricting placed her home in Oakland just outside the new district, Miller was eligible to serve because members of the House are only required to live in the state they represent.
In the 2022 general election, Miller won both the Republican primary and the general election unopposed, as no Democratic, independent, or third-party candidates filed to run. This unopposed path reinforced her strong standing in a district that remained one of the most Republican in Illinois.
Current Congressional Tenure (2023–Present)
Mary Miller has continued to advocate for agricultural and conservative policy priorities during her ongoing tenure in Congress. In May 2024, she proposed an amendment to the U.S. farm bill aimed at closing what she described as a loophole allowing intoxicating hemp products such as Delta-8 THC to be sold legally. The Hemp Roundtable, a lobbying group for hemp farmers, criticized the amendment as “hemp industry-killing,” but Miller defended her proposal as a necessary step to protect consumers.
She has also been a vocal supporter of efforts to impeach President Joe Biden and other top administration officials, co-sponsoring multiple impeachment resolutions during the 117th and 118th Congresses. In 2023, she voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act. In February 2025, Miller introduced Representative Sarah McBride of Delaware by misgendering her during a House session, a move that generated significant public discussion.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most defining moments of Miller’s early career was her January 2021 speech quoting Hitler, which drew widespread condemnation and calls for her resignation from figures such as Senator Tammy Duckworth and Representative Jan Schakowsky. Another notable moment came during a June 2022 rally with Donald Trump following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision, when Miller referred to the ruling as a “historic victory for white life,” later stating she had misread her notes. She has also been a strong supporter of Trump’s policy agenda, including his protectionist trade policies and efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Mary Miller Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Mary Elizabeth Miller was born to Annette Meyer (née Jesh) and Harvey Meyer. She married Chris Miller in 1980, and the couple has built a life centered on family and farming. Chris Miller serves as a state representative in Illinois, representing much of the eastern portion of his wife’s congressional district. Together, they own and operate a farm in Oakland, Illinois, where they grow grain and raise cattle.
Children and Community Ties
Mary and Chris Miller have seven children and 23 grandchildren. The Millers are members of Oakland Christian Church, reflecting their deep roots in the local community. Their combined careers in farming and public service have made them a well-known family in east-central Illinois.