Rep. Max Miller will remain on the ballot in Ohio.
Despite calls from several high-profile Republicans in the state and nationally, the embattled congressman is planning to continue his reelection for the House and did not withdraw by the Monday deadline that would have allowed his party to replace him on the midterm ballot.
Even if Miller had suspended his campaign on Monday, the Republican Party would have needed to find a loophole to state law requiring a two-day notice for the party’s committees in the most populous counties in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District to meet to nominate a replacement.
Now, it’s up to party leaders to figure out if they will continue to back Miller, who faces allegations of domestic and child abuse. He denies the accusations.
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“This district should remain Republican,” Mehek Cooke, a Republican strategist from Ohio, told NOTUS in a statement. “But no seat should be taken for granted especially when a candidate’s personal controversies begin overshadowing our record and the work we still have left to do.”
Miller’s district had been ranked as “solid Republican” by Inside Elections since September 2013, but was downgraded to “lean Republican” last Thursday. The controversy leaves an opening for Democratic candidate Brian Poindexter, an ironworker.
Poindexter told CNN on Thursday that Miller has been absent in his district and voters couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. “Working people show up every single day and put in the hours to keep America moving forward,” Poindexter posted on X. “Their representative to Congress should too.”
“With more gasoline being thrown on the fire, it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen in three months with turnout and how people are going to lean,” said Terry Casey, a GOP strategist. “Clearly, the campaign’s going to shift in this one, and other ones, to both firing up the base and trying to make the argument to independent and swing voters that the opponent is far worse and more dangerous.”
Trump has spoken positively about Miller, who served as an aide in Trump’s first administration, calling him a “good guy” just last Monday. Axios reported that the president called Miller and said “things aren’t looking good” for his reelection campaign.
Top Republican leaders in Congress, including Speaker Mike Johnson, have also avoided direct answers about Miller’s candidacy.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, the ex-father-in-law of Miller whose daughter accused Miller of abuse, has condemned Miller after initially steering clear of answering questions about the situation.
After a nearly 20-minute livestream on Aug. 2 from Miller recounting his side of the story, Moreno released a statement saying that Miller “is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”
“He should not serve in the House of Representatives,” he added.
Sens. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Jim Banks (R-Indiana), Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) have also denounced Miller.
Miller is still the Republican nominee, and the party’s leader says it’ll back him.
“We’re gonna support our nominees. We need to make sure we hold the majorities,” the chair of the Republican National Committee, Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, told NewsNation on Sunday.
Miller has raised more than double the campaign funds as Poindexter as of June 30.
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