Max Miller abuse allegations complicate race for once-solid GOP seat

Emily Brooks Sat, August 1, 2026 at 2:53 PM UTC

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Allegations of domestic abuse by Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) — which he vehemently denies — are receiving increasing national attention and complicating the race for the once reliably Republican seat while prompting new calls from Democrats for his resignation or investigation.

While Miller is still in a good position electorally, the allegations have prompted several race handicappers to cast doubt on his prospects — including as recently as Thursday. The dynamic has made Democrats hopeful that their challenger can be competitive in a district President Trump won in 2024 by 11 points, even as they delicately handle their response.

Details of the abuse allegations and Miller’s rebuttal have been trickling out for months but only recently gained widespread attention in Washington.

The new spotlight comes as bipartisan scrutiny on misconduct by members of both parties has ramped up this year. Several Democrats and the Democratic Women’s Caucus have called for Miller’s resignation or a House Ethics Committee investigation in the last week. Republicans, meanwhile, have largely avoided criticizing their Ohio colleague.

Trickle of allegations gain national attention

The allegations are part of an ugly family drama in Ohio Republican politics involving Miller; Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio); and a custody battle over the ex-couple’s 2-year-old daughter. Miller has vigorously and publicly denied the allegations, filed a defamation suit against his ex-wife, and has said on social media that she has “mental health issues.” The couple, who married at Mar-a-Lago in 2022, divorced last year.

The Daily Mail in May reported Emily Moreno’s allegation that Miller had left bruises after grabbing her and said he hurled scalding water at her while their infant daughter was present. The New York Post followed up in June revealing recordings Miller secretly made of Moreno that he argued cast doubt on her allegations. CNN in June reported that Moreno accused Miller of holding a gun to her head.

The allegations captured even more attention in the press — and from Miller’s House colleagues — in July. A lengthy feature in Mother Jones went into further detail about the allegations from Moreno. The piece also delved into allegations against Miller by former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham and disputes between the two, as well as other brushes with the law from his early adulthood. A New York Times story soon followed.

High-profile political opponents in the House and in the campaign sphere have now started to raise alarm about the Ohio congressman.

Giffords, the gun violence prevention group, on Wednesday called on Miller to resign in light of the allegations detailed in The New York Times story. The Democratic Women’s Caucus on Thursday called for a House Ethics Committee investigation into Miller.

The legal battles and accusations are not dying down. A lawyer for Moreno filed for a restraining order against Miller on Thursday, claiming there were repeated verbal and physical altercations between Miller and the attorney.

Abigail Angelos, a spokesperson for Miller, noted that the court “has continued to permit him joint custody of his child,” arguing, “If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case.”

“Congressman Miller will continue to vigorously defend his reputation against false and reckless allegations designed to inflame public opinion rather than reflect reality. This narrative has gone on long enough,” Angelos said.

Miller is expected to further address the allegations this weekend.

A delicate balance for Democrats

Campaign operatives in both parties do not think that the allegations against Miller alone would lead to him losing reelection in November. And Democrats do not expect the Ohio congressman to end his reelection bid amid the scrutiny, given Miller’s willingness to defend himself publicly and respond to allegations with countersuits.

But the intensifying public scrutiny, combined with other factors, could create a recipe for a stunning political upset, Democrats think.

Congressional race-raters have noted the “ugly” Miller-Moreno fight as they shifted ratings for Miller’s seat.

Inside Elections in June changed it from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican,” and the Cook Political Report shifted the Ohio district rating from “Solid R” to “Likely R” in June.

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a project of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, in May moved Miller’s seat from “Safe Republican” to “Likely Republican” — and then shifted the Miller race yet again on Thursday, the day after The New York Times story came out, to “Leans Republican”

The second-term congressman previously worked for Trump’s 2016 campaign and was a political appointee in the Trump administration. While Trump won Miller’s northeastern Ohio district by 11 points in 2024, Miller won reelection that year with just 51 percent of the vote as the Democratic challenger got 36 percent and former Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who ran as an independent, got 13 percent.

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This year, the Democratic nominee for the seat is exciting Democrats across the political spectrum. Ironworker and city councilman Brian Poindexter has an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and got support in his primary bid from a PAC aligned with the more moderate Blue Dog Democrats, Cleveland.com reported.

A poll sponsored by Poindexter’s campaign and conducted by GBAO in June suggests the race is tight: It found Miller led Poindexter by just 1 point, 44 percent to 43 percent, with 13 percent undecided. The polling memo said that Miller “is not well defined yet.” Dynamics in statewide Ohio races, suggesting close gubernatorial and Senate races, are also boosting Democrats’ hopes of an upset in the district.

It’s a delicate balance, though, for any Democratic challenger to respond to the allegations against Miller.

Poindexter has said he did not get into the race because of Miller’s personal life but because of policy. In a May statement, Poindexter said the accusations against Miller “deserve the attention of law enforcement.” His campaign did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

One Republican operative noted that Poindexter has far from a squeaky clean background himself, and he could face more scrutiny. In one documented brush with the law, he was cited for setting off fireworks when they were banned while he was a councilman.

Plus, Democrats may opt to spend critical resources elsewhere. Both Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) are defending their seats in more competitive races.

Calls for discipline muted from Republicans

The allegations against Miller come in the context of growing attention on misconduct by lawmakers and candidates.

Former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) dropped his gubernatorial bid and resigned from Congress after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, including with staff; former Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) ended his reelection bid and resigned after admitting to an affair with a now-deceased staffer; and former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) withdrew from his race after being accused of rape, which he denied.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said Tuesday Miller “needs to be removed from office and held accountable,” and Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.) on Wednesday called for “an immediate House Ethics Committee Investigation” into Miller.

The Ethics panel has not disclosed an investigation into Miller. It has historically waited for legal proceedings to play out before acting, though it has changed its precedent and not deferred entirely to the court system in recent years.

The messy legal battle and Miller’s staunch denials have contributed to a muted response from Republicans.

Asked Thursday on CNN if Miller should resign in wake of Moreno’s allegations, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) demurred: “Look, this is a family matter. I know Max is a good man; I was up there campaigning for him; I hope he wins reelection. … We should all pray for his family; these are difficult times that they’re going through.”

Some Republicans say the allegations against Miller are also more difficult for Republicans to sort through than other political abuse scandals this year — unsure how to evaluate claims made in a custody battle that have not resulted in any arrest and that took place outside of Congress.

One House lawmaker suggested a double standard for men in the House compared with the women.

“It is embarrassing and horrifying to be a woman in this Congress,” the House lawmaker told The Hill. “Any effort to push out predators is met with smears of the women pushing out the predators.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), in his last press conference before the House departed for August recess, fielded a question about why Miller and Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) — who has faced disputed allegations of harassment against an ex and a recanted allegation of domestic assault and is being investigated by the Ethics panel — remain in the House as Democrats have seen their candidates drop out amid allegations.

“The key word there is allegation. We have a process here, and the House Ethics Committee works on those things,” Johnson said. “If allegations are made, they work through a process. So I’m not in the business of commenting on investigations as they are in process. And so, we’ll see how that shakes out. That’s how this always works. And by the way, it’s done for Rs and Ds, both sides of the aisle.”

at 10:53 a.m. EDT.

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