He ultimately placed last in the Democratic primary, receiving 9% of the vote to Jim Hargrett's 34%, Warren Dawson's 31%, Bob Lester's 13%, and George Butler's 13%.

[1] In the nonpartisan primary, he faced a number of candidates, most notably journalist Nadine Smith, pastor James D. Sykes, caseworker Pete Edwards, and businessman Roy Robinson.

Miller strongly argued against repealing the ordinance, noting, "By my being a black man, I can't discriminate against someone because of their race, sex, sexual preference or national origin.

[7] In the runoff election against Smith, several of Miller's former rivals endorsed him,[8] as did the St. Petersburg Times, which praised him for having "presented a vision of Tampa as a city of thriving neighborhoods and provided specific suggestions to accomplish that goal.

"[9] Despite Smith's lead over Miller in the initial election, he overwhelmingly defeated her in the runoff, winning 58–42%,[10] largely because of his strong performance in the district's black precincts.

[19] In summer of 1998, Willie Logan, who had been selected as the Democratic caucus as its Speaker-designate in the event that it won a majority in the 1998 elections, was ousted and replaced by Anne Mackenzie.

Following an outcry from black lawmakers, Mackenzie abruptly announced that she wouldn't seek re-election, which necessitated another election for the party's leader for the 1998–2000 session.

[21] In 2000, State Senator Jim Hargrett was unable to run for re-election due to term limits, and Miller ran to succeed him in the 21st District, which included heavily black neighborhoods in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Bradenton.

He served alongside House Minority Leader Chris Smith, which was the first time in state history that black lawmakers simultaneously held leadership posts in both chambers.

[33] When Congressman Jim Davis opted to run for governor in 2006 rather than seek re-election, Miller ran to succeed him in the 11th District, which included most of the territory he had represented in the state senate.

"[38] The Tribune similarly praised Miller for his "smart ideas on all the key issues" and for his legislative accomplishments, but concluded that Castor was the better choice because of her energy, determination, and leadership potential in Congress.

[40] In 2010, Miller made a return to elected office by challenging County Commissioner Kevin White, who represented the 3rd District, for re-election in the Democratic primary.

Miller, along with Hillsborough County Children's Board member Valerie Goddard, opted to challenge White due to his ethical issues—he had been found guilty in a civil case of sexually harassing his former aide.