Both candidates hail from Columbus and each has experience representing Ohio residents. Carey has been the Congressman for the 15th District since a 2021 special election, while Miller has served in the Ohio House of Representatives since 2016.
The 15th District includes most of east, west and north Clark County, but not the city of Springfield in the center, nor the townships south of the city. The 15th covers southern Shelby County, plus most of Miami County, but not the southwest quadrant that includes West Milton and Pleasant Hill. Elsewhere, the district stretches east into parts of Columbus, and south to Washington Court House.
Abortion a key issue
When asked to address major issues facing the electorate this year, Carey and Miller offered contrasting responses to many voter concerns, including their positions on one of the hot buttons issues of 2024 — abortion rights.
Congressman Carey said he is personally pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest, and health of the mother. He believes the issue should continue to be decided by voters of Ohio.
Miller argues that the issue has already been decided by Ohio voters and that legislators need to respect their decision.
“My opponent is out of touch with Ohio voters. HR 431 is one of the first bills he sponsored in Congress, and that’s the Life Begins at Conception Act,” Miller said. “You can’t be for a ban on abortion with no exceptions and represent the mainstream of Ohio’s 15th voters. We have spoken loud and clear on that.”
Carey on the economy
Both candidates concur that there is a vital role Congress can play in shaping the economy, but offer different visions of how they want to see that happen.
Carey criticized the Biden administration for “a more than $9 trillion increase in federal government spending since February of 2021, combined with a radical energy policy, that caused one the worst inflation crises our nation has ever seen.”
He cited some of the legislation he has actively introduced and supported, as an effort to try and get the economy back on track, including the Fighting Presidential Budget Waste Act, a bipartisan bill that would require the administration to consider the Government Accountability Office’s annual report on federal programs before presenting a Presidential budget. Casey argues this would help to cut duplicative and wasteful programs, saving taxpayer dollars.
Carey also advocates for energy policies that would terminate a $10.5 billion tax that was recently placed on U.S. oil refineries and for bringing back tax deductions for energy exploration that were taken away “by the so-called ‘Inflation Reduction Act’. Bringing back these deductions will not only spark more American energy production, but lead to cost saving for all Americans,” he said.
Carey endorsed the Leveraging and Energizing America’s Apprenticeship Programs Act, a proposal that he said will encourage more skilled labor and help build the American workforce by allowing employers a $1,500 tax credit for each of their employees who participate in qualified apprenticeship programs. He also supports the Imaging Services Price Transparency Act, which would require medical providers to disclose the cost of imaging services like x-ray, MRI and CT scans, to help people find the best value.
Miller on the economy
Miller advocates for more investment in education and far less money for tax cuts for the wealthy as a means to improve the economy for Ohioans and all Americans.
“Good jobs start with investment in people from higher education to trade careers. Congress can put more dollars that taxpayers send to D.C. back into local education to further support colleges like Clark State and tech schools like the Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center.”
Miller says this also requires investment in infrastructure and incentives for businesses in Ohio to create good jobs here at home.
“We can do that by working together and not pitting ourselves against one another. We restore a fair tax system so we’ll have the resources we need for healthcare, education and public safety,” Miller said. “We empower labor and do away with trade deals that have hemorrhaged Ohio manufacturing jobs to countries that don’t play by the rules. We create a tax system that ensures the viability of retirement security for pensions, 401(k)s and Social Security.”
To accomplish those things, Miller says “we must end the discord and dysfunction of Washington politics. We must elect officials who promise to work together rather than against one another … For too long so many members of Congress are beholden to their own business interests or blind loyalty to their party. I believe in one person, one vote; not one dollar, one vote. I will work with both parties. I’ll work with the President and Speaker of the House whoever she or he may be; whichever party they represent.”
Ideas on Haitian immigration
Asked to address the immigration issue and specifically Springfield’s experience with a significant increase in the Haitian population, Carey and Miller appear reflect the divide of the Springfield community itself.
Congressman Carey reports he has worked with local officials and alongside Congressman Turner to request needed aid for education, law enforcement and healthcare services in Springfield. He has also demanded answers from the Biden-Harris administration on immigration policies as well as the “sickening, hoax bomb threats made by foreign adversaries.”
“We must continue to help Springfield while also acknowledging the failure of the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies,” Carey said.
Miller says the state has a role in supporting Springfield in welcoming the immigrants who have arrived with legal status.
“We should treat new, legal immigrants like we have always treated legal immigrants — regardless of race or where they come from. We should welcome them. Help them; just as they are helping to power our economy and enrich our culture,” Miller said. “We’ve had large influxes of immigrants in the past and we have aided them and the communities in which they lived — to everyone’s betterment.”
Guns, other issues
Both candidates express support for gun ownership. Carey says he is a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment. Miller says he supports gun ownership and the 2nd Amendment, but with a qualifier.
“Unfettered access to military-grade weapons is not acceptable,” he said. “We need common sense gun safety laws — something on which most Americans agree.”
Both candidates have a record of military service, with Carey serving in the Army National Guard from 1989 to 1999, while Miller served 28 years and is a Colonel in the U.S. Army JAG Corps (Reserve).
In-person early voting at county Board of Elections offices continues through Nov. 3, including two Saturdays and two Sundays prior to Election Day, Nov. 5. Mail-in absentee ballots are required to have a Nov. 4 or earlier postmark.
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