According to a report from Politico, the Texas Agriculture Commissioner who was once poised to be Donald Trump's pick to head up the Department of Agriculture is on the outs with Texas Republicans who want him to be primaried out of his current job after a series of scandals and policy decisions they find intolerable.
Sid Miller, described by Politico's Ximena Bustillo as "Trump's favorite cowboy," has seen his star fall since the early days when he endorsed the former president's first presidential run and seemed lined up to head to Washington, D.C., for a cabinet position that eventually went to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
These days he is battling to survive the March 1 primary as his Republican colleagues line up against him.
"Sid Miller has accumulated so many enemies and courted so much controversy in his two terms as Texas agriculture commissioner that even his conservative credentials and Donald Trump’s endorsement might not be enough to save him in the state’s March 1 GOP primary, " the Politico report states before adding, "The office Miller heads is no backwater agency. The Texas Department of Agriculture has a sprawling mandate in a state that leads the nation in number of farms and ranches — 248,416 of them, covering 127 million acres. It was a stepping stone for Rick Perry, who served two terms as agriculture commissioner en route to winning the governorship and then running for president."
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According to the report Miller has been dogged by controversy ranging from enraging "state agriculture interests and state legislators by hiking fees for department services," to an ethics investigation over travel expenses and employing political consultant and campaign spokesperson, Todd Smith, who has been indicted by a grand jury on "charges of theft and commercial bribery after a two-year investigation."
Politico reports that the man Trump once praised for his"big, beautiful, white cowboy hat" at Texas rallies, has made a sizeable number of enemies while on the job.
As GOP state Sen. Charles Perry (R) put it, "Sid became commissioner [and] he was bigger than life and he was going to show the legislature who’s boss. And it’s just not a good place to put yourself with the people and your budget.”
Perry, who heads up the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, has endorsed state Rep. James White for Miller's job.
The head of the powerful Texas Seed Trade Association, Bryan Gentsch, has also backed the ouster of Miller, telling Politico, "Commissioner Miller and I on a personal level no longer meet because the last time we met we had unkind words for one another. Our relationship is not a good one and therefore we have such a strong desire to have a commissioner that we can discuss things with and communicate with and that will make an attempt to understand the intricacies of our problems. We have never gotten that impression from Miller.”
State Rep. White, who is vying for the job, claimed there is no time like the present to oust Miller.
“The time is now. The department is in disarray,” he explained. “This race is about who you trust. You darn skippy, I have a good shot at winning this race because this commissioner has scored an F in trust and an F in security.”
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