Mary Miller (politician)

Miller announced her candidacy to represent Illinois's 15th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2020 elections to succeed retiring incumbent John Shimkus.[5] She won the Republican Party nomination[6] and the general election. She is the first Republican woman elected to represent Illinois in Congress since Judy Biggert left office in 2013.[7] Miller focused her campaign on providing support to farming and bringing manufacturing back to Illinois.[8]

Miller sided with President Donald Trump's view of the 2020 presidential election as having been compromised by voter fraud, calling it "tainted".[9]

On January 6, 2021, when Congress met to formally count the votes of the Electoral College and certify the results of the 2020 Presidential Election, Miller was one of the members of the House of Representatives who objected to the votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania.[10]

On January 5, 2021, two days into her House term, Miller issued a prepared speech to the conservative group Moms for America.[11][12] She quoted Adolf Hitler, saying: "Each generation has the responsibility to teach and train the next generation. You know, if we win a few elections, we're still going to be losing unless we win the hearts and minds of our children. This is the battle. Hitler was right on one thing: he said, 'Whoever has the youth has the future.'"[13][14]

A number of groups and politicians strongly condemned the comment, harshly criticized Miller, and exhorted the Republican party to do likewise. Public statements were issued by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Anti-Defamation League, World Jewish Congress, and multiple lawmakers including Adam Kinzinger and Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker.[15][16][17][18][19][20] Representative Jan Schakowsky, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and the Illinois Legislative Jewish Caucus called for Miller's resignation.[21][19][16]

On January 7, Miller's office tweeted that her remarks had been intended to compare alleged youth indoctrination efforts by unnamed "left-wing radicals" to those of Hitler, while nonetheless encouraging Republicans to even more aggressively appeal to the youth as a means to collective power.[12] On January 8, she apologized for having quoted Hitler in the message, but accused her critics of twisting her words.[11][22]

On January 14, Schakowsky said that she would introduce a measure to censure Miller.[23]

• Freedom Caucus