Maya C. Miller
CalMatters Politics ReporterMaya C. Miller covers politics and government accountability for CalMatters, with one eye on the state Legislature and the other on California’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. She will help lead CalMatters’ coverage of campaigns, voters and elections in the run-up to the 2026 midterms.
Maya came to CalMatters in June 2025 by way of the New York Times, where she covered Congress as the David E. Rosenbaum fellow in Washington, D.C. She hit the 2024 campaign trail and delivered deeply reported stories from five different states across the country. From Nebraska, a deep red state, Maya introduced readers to an independent candidate –– a mechanic with no political experience –– who nearly unseated Republican Senator Deb Fischer after riding a populist wave. And in Maine, she showed readers how Representative Jared Golden, a three-term Democrat, persuaded Trump voters in his in his conservative-leaning district to split their tickets.
From the halls of the Capitol, Maya reported on how constituents overwhelmed the Congressional phone system shortly after President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration as outraged Democrats and energized Republicans tried to get the ear of their elected officials. She covered House Republicans’ herculean effort to pass Trump’s ambitious domestic policy agenda and also explained how the G.O.P. ‘s unprecedented repeal of California’s Clean Air Act waivers threatened to blow another hole in the filibuster.
Prior to the New York Times, Maya reported for The Sacramento Bee, where she resurrected the dormant state worker beat, reported closely on contract negotiations and pioneered a newsletter that informed more than 250,000 civil servants in California. She has also reported for The Seattle Times, the Minnesota Star Tribune and the Des Moines Register.
Maya graduated from Duke University with a degree in public policy. She grew up in Des Moines and credits the Iowa caucuses with sparking her love for journalism and current events.
Languages spoken: Spanish (conversational)
-
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has repeatedly warned, without evidence, that immigration agents could show up at polling sites the way they did at the launch for Proposition 50. Community members and local leaders say those fears are real. -
It’s common to see election observers at voting stations, but generally less so for them to come from the federal government. Some from the Trump administration will be on the ground in several California counties next month.
