Stronger penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants, a concrete timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq and getting drivers off of northern Virginia roads are issues Democratic hopeful Harris Miller said he would push for if elected to the U.S. Senate in November.
“As far as I know, with the exception of Native Americans, we’re all immigrants,” said Harris, 54, of Fairfax. “People are coming here to work, and they will keep coming as long as they can get it, so we need to penalize the employers who hire them and make it a financially unappealing proposition for companies.”
While national and statewide issues were the focus on Miller’s comments, he also said he would push to allow more federal employees, many of whom live or work in northern Virginia, to telecommute.
“There are two ways to ease congestion: Build new roads or get people off the roads. And telecommuting is one of the best ways to do that,” said Miller.
He consistently referred to himself as a Mark Warner Democrat, a reference to the former governor.
In March, Miller received the endorsements of Fairfax County supervisors Penelope Gross and Sharon Bulova as well as Chairman Gerald Connolly. They too stressed the perceived similarity in Miller and Warner’s political philosophy.
“As a local government leader, I know we need a partner in Washington who gets it — especially for the needs of northern Virginia,” Connolly said. “Harris’ background in business and technology uniquely equips him to be that partner.
“Harris is a Mark Warner Democrat, and he’s going to follow in that model to build a winning coalition of support across the state.”
Miller and fellow Democrat James Webb will face off in a primary for the nomination, with the winner taking on incumbent George Allen.
Virginia’s is one of 33 seats up for grabs this fall in the 100-member U.S. Senate. Fifteen Republicans are retiring or running for re-election; 17 Democrats are retiring or running for re-election; and the lone independent is retiring. The general election for the six-year terms is set for Nov. 7.
