Jonathan Miller (born July 24, 1967) is an American author, attorney, and former politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky who served as Secretary for the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet from December 2007 to 2011. Prior to this appointment, Miller was elected statewide twice and served as Kentucky State Treasurer from 1999 to 2007, becoming the first Jew to be elected to statewide office in Kentucky history. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Miller currently is the Member-in-Charge of Frost Brown Todd in Lexington, KY, and serves as General Counsel to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, where he has emerged as one of the leading attorneys for, and advocates of, the U.S. hemp industry.
Biography
From Lexington, Miller graduated from Henry Clay High School and Harvard College and Law School. He is married to Lisa Miller, a mind-body health specialist, and the author of The Heart of Leadership for Women. They have two daughters, Emily and Abigail.
Early political career
Miller began his career in politics while in college by serving as the national director of Students for Gore in 1988 when then-senator Al Gore was running for president. He later worked for Gore when he was Vice President in the Clinton Administration., as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Energy. He first campaigned for elected office in 1998, losing a primary bid for Kentucky's 6th congressional district to Ernesto Scorsone. In 1999 he was elected State Treasurer and was re-elected in 2003. Miller's signature accomplishment as Treasurer was the establishment of Kentucky's Prepaid Tuition Program, which signed up more than 10,000 families.
Kentucky gubernatorial run
On December 14, 2006, Miller announced his intentions to run for Governor of Kentucky with Jefferson County Attorney Irv Maze as his running mate. On May 7, 2007, a campaign spokesperson announced that Miller would drop out of the race and endorse the campaign of Steve Beshear. The endorsement was seen as a significant milestone in the race, helping Beshear win the primary without a runoff, and ultimately, the general election.
Sideburns challenge
Raising a few eyebrows, a fundraising method for Miller's campaign was dubbed "The Great Sideburns Debate", which began due to an article by John David Dyche of the Louisville Courier-Journal that stated, "Treasurer Jonathan Miller sports perhaps the longest sideburns on a gubernatorial candidate since the Seventies ... the 1870s." Miller's campaign shot back calling it, "The lowest blow in political history", and saying Dyche 'hit' Miller, "where it hurts the most ... his sideburns". In response Miller's campaign invited donations of $18.70 and $19.70, for whichever era of sideburns the donor preferred.
Campaign finance disclosure
On February 23 the Miller-Maze campaign issued their campaign finance summary 90 days prior to the primary, and nearly two months prior to the mandated 32-day mark set for the first financial disclosure deadline for elections. This was in accordance with an earlier pledge to disclose finances at the 90 and 60-day mark and to strive for transparent governance.
Video blog
On March 2 Miller's campaign unveiled a video blog on their campaign website becoming the only campaign in the race to do so.
Dropping out
On May 7, 2007, Miller announced he was dropping out of the race for governor. Polls had consistently showed his name recognition had remained low and he was running well behind other candidates. Miller and his running mate held a press conference and endorsed the slate of Steve Beshear and Dan Mongiardo. Miller said, "The odds are if I stayed in the race that there was a real possibility that the Democratic primary could produce a nominee who was unelectable in the fall — a nominee whose baggage would be picked apart and exploited."
Political views and advocacy
Miller set out some general issues he planned to take on if he had been elected governor.
Health care
The Miller-Maze campaign advocated incentives for use of biotechnology, especially in farm crops. They also advocated the use of e-health initiatives to assist in reducing medical mistakes and reducing unnecessary testing in hospitals by requiring a card carrying all patient information.