Columnist and author Matt Miller jumped into the increasingly crowded field of candidates seeking to replace Rep. Henry Waxman (D – Beverly Hills) on Friday, Feb. 14.

Miller, who writes a column for the Washington Post and is host of the weekly radio show “Left, Right, and Center” on KCRW, has never held public office, and described his bid for the seat as an “untraditional and unconventional appeal to voters on the basis of ideas.”

Miller, who spent two years working in the White House during the Clinton Administration before becoming a journalist and moving to Los Angeles, will be running in a field that already includes two prominent local Democratic politicians – former Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel and Calif. State Senator Ted Lieu. As such, Miller acknowledged he won’t be bringing too many endorsements from local elected officials, nor will the self-described “proud Democrat” be vying for the Democratic nomination at the state party’s convention next month.

“I obviously can’t compete with them for every local endorsement, because I’m not a career politician,” Miller told the Journal on Friday. “This will be up to voters to decide, but I’ve worked in the White House so I have, arguably, more direct experience trying to shape the national agenda.”

Miller is one of three Jewish candidates running for Waxman's seat – Deputy District Attorney Elan S. Carr, a Republican, and author Marianne Williamson, an independent, are also in the race.

Miller, whose family is a member of the Reconstructionist Kehilat Israel congregation in the Pacific Palisades, said that his political philosophy is informed by streams of Jewish thought. In his writings, Miller said, he outlines ways that government can ensure that “the accident of birth is not what determines people’s destiny,” by promoting upward mobility, educational opportunity and economic security for Americans.

“Those values come out of the heart of Jewish civilization,” Miller said.