Maryland’s Senate leader expected to discuss health, future

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — One of Maryland’s most powerful politicians, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, is expected to discuss his political plans with fellow lawmakers as he continues a battle with cancer.

Miller, who is 76 and the longest-serving state Senate president in the nation, plans to talk with the chamber’s 31 other Democrats in a closed-door caucus meeting Thursday. He has scheduled a news conference afterward.

Jake Weissmann, Miller’s chief of staff, declined to comment before Thursday’s news conference.

In January, on the second day of the state’s annual 90-day legislative session, Miller announced he was fighting stage 4 prostate cancer. Having served as the state Senate’s president since 1987, Miller has continued to preside over the chamber while undergoing chemotherapy.

Several senators have been weighing whether to run to replace him, if he decides to step down from the office. The Senate president is elected in a vote by the chamber’s 47 senators.

The planned announcement comes in a year already marked by change in the Maryland General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats.

In April, Michael Busch, the longest-serving speaker in the history of the Maryland House of Delegates, died on the day before the 90-day legislative session ended. House Speaker Adrienne Jones was elected unanimously to the leadership position in a one-day special session in May.