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Who is Aruna Miller, Maryland's new lieutenant governor?


Maryland Lt. Gov.-elect Aruna Miller, left, talks with Gov.-elect Wes Moore inside the Maryland Senate Chambers during the start of the state's General Assembly's annual 90-day session, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Maryland Lt. Gov.-elect Aruna Miller, left, talks with Gov.-elect Wes Moore inside the Maryland Senate Chambers during the start of the state's General Assembly's annual 90-day session, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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Maryland's new Governor Wes Moore is not the only one rewriting history books on Wednesday.

Moore's running mate, Aruna Miller, also turned a new leaf for the state by becoming the first immigrant to win the lieutenant governor's office.

RELATED | Maryland begins a new era: Wes Moore, Aruna Miller to be inaugurated Wednesday

Miller is the first South Asian American elected statewide. She is only the second female lieutenant governor in the state, after Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

BACKGROUND

Miller was born in Hyderabad, India, and immigrated to the U.S. when she was 7 years old. She graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology with a degree in civil engineering and chose a life of public service in Maryland, according to her biography.

She spent 25 years working at the Department of Transportation in Montgomery County, where she worked to improve the safety of the public, alleviate traffic, and create equitable transportation access to connect people to opportunities.

From 2010 to 2018, Miller represented District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates, where she worked with her constituents to create legislation to invest in STEM education and streamline the regulatory process for small businesses.

She ran for Congress in 2018 in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, finishing second in a crowded field of eight candidates.

Miller lives in Montgomery County with her husband Dave, where they raised three daughters.

HISTORIC CEREMONY

The inauguration took place beginning at noon at the State Capitol in Annapolis. The ceremony was free and open to the public.

Watch Miller's full inauguration speech here:

There was also a ceremonial 19-gun salute between 12:45 p.m. and 1 p.m.

The inaugural ball will be Wednesday night at 7 p.m., following days of other festivities, according to a release from the Moore-Miller team.

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