Tom Miller (D)
Barack Obama (D)
DES MOINES, Iowa (Legal Newsline)- Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says he will likely remain in Iowa despite talks about him possibly serving in President-elect Barack Obama's administration.
"It would take an awful lot to give this position up," Miller was quoted Tuesday by the Des Moines Register as saying. "I had some discussions with them, quite a few discussions, but the way it looks now is that I'll stay here."
The Democratic attorney general, who endorsed Obama when he decided to run for president in January 2007, said he is no longer interested in becoming chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and the longtime consumer advocates said he is not interested in a federal judgeship.
"There's nothing more important in the legal profession than being a judge," Miller said. "But it's something that's pretty confining personally. I still like enough of the politics and enough of the public side of the arena to be on this side of the bench rather than on the other side."
Miller, 64, was first elected attorney general in 1978. He served until 1990, when he ran unsuccessfully for governor. He was elected again as the state's top legal officer in 1994 and has been re-elected ever since.
Miller told the newspaper he plans to seek re-election in 2010, unless Obama offered an exceptional appointment.
"It would have to be a pretty compelling case," he said. "I haven't totally closed the door on anything. I think I'm headed toward staying here. I'm very comfortable with that."
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.