Dan Miller (center) at his election night party at The Millworks on May 20.
The runner-up Democratic challenger for Harrisburg mayor in last week’s municipal primary election may run on the Republican ticket in November.
City Treasurer Dan Miller lost the Democratic nomination against incumbent Mayor Wanda Williams on May 20, but received enough write-in votes for the Republican nomination—which he says he will consider.
“Before making any decisions, I must assess community support for a fall campaign,” Miller said in a statement issued on Wednesday. “The election would be a runoff between the top two candidates. One candidate of the status quo, and my candidacy of change and progress. If sufficient support exists along with a reasonable winning strategy, my candidacy will continue. I will look to everyone for support.”
Miller, one of five mayoral candidates, won 1,642 votes in the primary, narrowly losing to Williams who won 1,725 votes. However, Miller also received more than the 100 votes as a Republican write in needed to secure that party’s nomination. No Republican candidate ran on the primary ballot.
“Thank you to all city Republicans who gave me their write-in vote. Although I am a long-time registered Democrat, I am now the qualified Republican nominee,” Miller said in his statement. “Considering both D and R city votes, this race is a dead heat. Even though 65% of Democrats voted for change, winning on the Republican ticket will be a difficult task. It will require a considerable amount of fundraising, volunteer effort, and increased professional strategy.”
Miller will eventually need to decide if he will accept the Republican nomination to have his name on the November municipal general election ballot.
In 2013, Miller likewise lost the mayoral primary, but captured the Republican nomination through write-in votes. In the November general election, he lost to the Democratic nominee, former Mayor Eric Papenfuse.
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