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ongressman Jeff Miller is getting at least one challenger for his U.S. House seat in 2016.
Charles Thies has done many things: the Miami native has been a police officer, adjunct professor, and businessman. He’s the former CEO of Cloud View Technologies in Mary Esther. Now, he makes his debut in politics, wanting to represent Florida’s 1st House District in Washington.
Thies is running as an independent and against what he considers to be out-of-control spending, along with polarization and gridlock on Capitol Hill. He contends Democrats and Republicans vote along party lines 90% of the time. As proof, he points to Obamacare and the 50-plus failed attempts to repeal it.
“Are we putting party lines before Americans?” said Thies. “I find it very, very problematic that we have to go into Congress and make symbolic gestures that mean nothing at the end of the day, and not make any sort of incremental change. Why can’t we do that now?”
Thies, whose mother came from Cuba to the U.S. in the 1960s, says when it comes to protecting U.S. borders, the existing procedures in vetting immigrants needs beefing up.
“It’s partisan politics; it really seems like it is,” Thies said. “That we can’t come to some sort of agreement to have some sort of structured immigration process. We definitely need a vetting process.”
Should Thies be elected to the House, he says he’ll not make a career out of Washington, planning to sign a pledge that limits his time there. It carries the same limits, three House terms and two in the Senate, as are in a proposed amendment that’s being supported by more than 30 Republicans in the two chambers.
While he praises Cong. Jeff Miller for his work with the Veterans Administration, Thies says not only would he continue that work, but also tackle other First District issues such as jobs.
“What happens if we have somebody in the presidency next time around who wants to do further cuts on the military?” asked Thies. “What would happen if NAS Pensacola would go away? We have tourism, we have a good military industry that brings a lot of jobs to the area, but let’s attract some more jobs.”
Thies faces a traditionally uphill fight for the House seat against an eight-term incumbent who’s flush with cash. Thies concedes that Miller is a “formidable opponent” and that the final decision lies with the voters in the First District.
Thies filed his candidacy last month, has put together a campaign staff, and is preparing to hit the trail and get out his message. At this point, he’s the lone challenger to Miller next year, but more are expected to enter the race. In 2014, Jeff Miller won by collecting 64% of the vote over one Democratic, and one ‘No Party” candidate.
