Midge Miller

Who was Midge Miller?

Marjorie "Midge" Miller was a Wisconsin Democratic politician.

Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, Miller served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1971 to 1985.

She was an early supporter of the 1968 presidential candidacy of Senator Eugene McCarthy, and eventually headed his Wisconsin campaign. It is believed that she was a major influence in convincing an initially reluctant Senator McCarthy to run for president, based in large part on his opposition to the Vietnam War. McCarthy was discounted by the political establishment as an underdog with virtually no chance of success, but Miller proved to be prescient in her belief that the time was right for his candidacy. In January of that year, McCarthy's opposition to the war resonated in a major way with voters in the 1968 New Hampshire presidential primary. Although McCarthy lost, he came in a close second to incumbent President Lyndon Johnson. With Midge Miller's support, McCarthy went on to defeat Johnson in the then-crucial Wisconsin primary the next month.