Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller is watching his political support evaporate in real time as fellow Republicans, including two U.S. senators, call on him to resign over domestic violence and child abuse allegations from his ex-wife.
Sen. John Husted, a Republican from Ohio and once a prominent Miller supporter, issued a statement Thursday calling on the congressman to step aside from his reelection bid and leave Congress entirely. Husted did not hedge. He said Miller should resign "to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter" and declared flatly that anyone who commits domestic violence "is not fit to serve in Congress." He also called on the House Ethics Committee to investigate any credible allegations and said any member found responsible should step down.
Husted's statement landed the same day that Donovan O'Neil, Ohio director of the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, called Miller "unfit for office." O'Neil framed the moment as a test of principle for the party, telling the Washington Examiner:
"One of the reasons so many Ohioans have lost faith in politics is that too many elected officials & political figures lack the courage to say publicly what everyone knows privately. If we believe character matters, we have to mean it, even when it's politically inconvenient."
The twin rebukes cap a week in which Miller's standing inside his own party has deteriorated sharply. His ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, has accused him of throwing hot water from a skillet at her body, holding a gun to her head, and fracturing their two-year-old daughter's collarbone. Miller denies every allegation. He has called the accusations "politically motivated" and vowed to stay in the race.
Earlier in the week, Sen. Bernie Moreno broke his public silence on the matter. His social media statement was unsparing. He said Miller "fails" any basic standard of character required to hold office and should not serve in the House.
"I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does."
In a separate interview, Moreno described the situation as "brutal beyond comprehension" and said Miller fails to meet even a "minimum, basic standard" for public office, AP News reported.
Mehek Cooke, an Ohio-based Republican strategist, told the Washington Examiner that Miller should "step aside." She said the episode has become an "unnecessary distraction" and that "Republicans cannot afford distractions or weak leadership." Cooke added that what the Moreno family "has endured should never have become public", a remark that underscored the personal dimension of a scandal now consuming an entire congressional race.
The calls for Miller to leave are not coming from across the aisle. They are coming from Republican senators, conservative advocacy groups, and GOP strategists, people who would ordinarily be working to hold a safe Republican seat. Miller's Cleveland-area district went for President Trump by 11 points in 2024. That a Republican incumbent now trails by double digits there reflects the scale of the political damage. The broader trend of Republican seats shifting toward Democrats heading into the midterms makes the situation even more costly for the party.
A survey from Co/efficient, a Republican polling firm, paints a grim picture for Miller. The poll, conducted August 5, 6 among 615 likely general election voters in Ohio's 7th Congressional District, found Democratic nominee Brian Poindexter leading Miller by 14 points. Miller is running 10 points behind his own party line, meaning voters who support other Republicans on the ballot are abandoning him specifically.
Co/efficient's July survey had Miller trailing Poindexter by 5 points. The gap has nearly tripled. The margin of error on the August poll is plus or minus 3.94 percent, far too small to explain away a 14-point deficit.
Ryan Munce, president of Co/efficient, wrote in a memo accompanying the poll results that "the driver is Miller himself" and that "the data no longer supports a viable path to victory for Max Miller." The memo has been circulating on social media.
Monday is the deadline for Miller to withdraw from the race. So far, he has given no indication he intends to do so.
Miller has chosen defiance. On Tuesday, he posted on X that he had "absolutely nothing to hide" and announced he would file his own paperwork requesting a House Ethics Committee investigation into himself. He framed the move as a way to "clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family."
The Ethics Committee has since confirmed it will investigate whether Miller engaged in domestic violence, abuse, or illegal drug use, Fox News reported. The committee cited its own rules and said it was reviewing the allegations. That confirmation added institutional weight to what had been, until then, a political and personal crisis. Miller is not merely facing angry colleagues, he now faces a formal congressional inquiry.
In a CNN interview, Miller rejected calls to step down. He told anchor Jake Tapper:
"For no second am I going to sit here and continue to be debased by false and baseless allegations, and be pushed out of a seat I have worked so hard to represent and done a terrific job for our community."
Miller also confirmed that President Trump told him the race was going to be "tough" and that Trump was not sure Miller could win. Miller said he responded by invoking Trump's own experience before 2016. "I reminded him of the same resilience that he had when people told him that he was going to struggle in 2016, and he became the 45th president of the United States," Miller said.
In a separate statement, Miller vowed he would "never, ever, ever let my baby girl see her dad walk away as a quitter," AP News reported.
Miller's problems extend beyond the court of public opinion. A Cuyahoga County judge dismissed a domestic violence protection order that Miller had filed against Emily Moreno, finding that Miller had not been harmed or placed in fear of his ex-wife, the New York Post reported. Judge Debra Boros found that Miller's counsel could explain the reasons for seeking relief but that Miller himself "did not appear to have been threatened by or in fear of" Moreno.
Miller's legal team also acknowledged that he was wrong about having doorbell camera footage to support his claims, an error his team attributed to an honest mistake. Meanwhile, Moreno's attorney Andrew Zashin filed a restraining order against Miller after Miller allegedly physically grabbed Zashin following a court hearing.
Miller's campaign spokesperson, Abigail Angelos, responded that Miller "will continue to vigorously defend his reputation against false and reckless allegations designed to inflame public opinion rather than reflect reality." The House Ethics Committee probe, which launched just hours after Miller's own request, now runs parallel to the legal disputes.
Miller is not the only Republican facing personal misconduct allegations that threaten to upend a congressional seat. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham has also filed a restraining order against Miller, adding another layer to the mounting accusations. And the broader question of how Congress handles member misconduct has drawn fresh scrutiny, with top House Republicans pushing new conduct rules in the wake of separate scandals.
Miller's situation also mirrors the predicament of other Republicans whose personal controversies have dragged down their campaigns. In Texas, Ken Paxton trails in his Senate race amid lingering GOP divisions, a reminder that Republican voters will punish candidates who bring baggage to the ballot.
Ohio's 7th Congressional District should not be competitive. Trump carried it by 11 points in 2024. A Republican running 10 points behind the party line there is not losing on policy or ideology, he is losing on himself. Co/efficient's Munce said as much: the driver is Miller.
Sen. Husted acknowledged the personal toll on both families, saying he was "deeply saddened that their personal lives have become such a public matter, especially as it relates to their daughter, Ruthie." But he did not let that sympathy soften his conclusion. Miller should go.
Anonymous House Republicans have also called for Miller to drop out, with one telling Fox News, "We must lead by example."
No charges have been filed against Miller. The allegations remain unproven in court. But the political verdict is already in. Two Republican senators, a major conservative advocacy group, a GOP pollster, and unnamed House colleagues have all reached the same conclusion: Miller cannot hold this seat.
Character is supposed to matter in the party that says it does. Monday is the deadline to prove it.