Democrat Aruna Miller made history on Tuesday when she was elected the lieutenant governor in the state of Maryland. Miller is the first Indian-American to be elected to the position in the state.
After her win, the lieutenant governor-elect of the state of Maryland, took to Twitter to thank the people who voted for her. She said, "Before I ask you for anything, I want to thank you for everything. Thank you for being here today and for being a part of this moment. We need you. We need your hope, we need your stories, we need your partnership — and I can promise you this, we're only just getting started."
Miller ran alongside Wes Moore who is the governor-elect. She thanked Moore on Twitter and called him an incredible leader. Miller said, "@iamwesmoore from the moment I met you, I knew you were going to be an incredible leader but what I didn't know was that you were going to be an exceptional friend. Thank you for your friendship and trust."
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Here's all you need to know about her:
What's Aruna Miller's India connection?
Miller was born Aruna Katragadda in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in 1964. She moved to America in 1972. She went to school in Poughkeepsie in New York. The Washington Post reported Miller as saying she did not speak English and was the only Indian girl in her school.
"Ever since I came to this country in 1972, I've never stopped being excited for the promise of America," Miller said in a tweet after her win and added, "I will never stop fighting to make sure that promise is available to everyone. And this promise begins with a commitment to deliver a Maryland where we Leave No One Behind."
A look at Miller's career
Miller got a civil engineering degree from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 1989. She told The Washington Post that things came "crashing down" just as she was going to college because her father was suffering from bipolar disorder. She was able to get her degree thanks to a federal student grant.
Miller worked at Maryland's Montgomery County Department of Transportation for 25 years.
Miller became a citizen of the US only in 2000. She ran for the House of Delegates and was elected to it in 2010. She remained a member till 2018. Miller represented District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates. According to Moore's website, Miller "worked with her constituents to create legislation to invest in STEM education, streamline the regulatory process for small businesses and was a champion for working families, survivors of domestic abuse, and the environment".
She finished second to David Trone when she ran for Congress in 2018 in Maryland's 6th Congressional District.
After she was elected Maryland's lieutenant governor, Miller said she would always champion underdogs. "The moral to this story is, NEVER EVER underestimate the underdogs. And guess what – we'll always look out for the underdogs. We see you. We hear you. We believe in you. And @iamwesmoore and I are going to fight for you."