House Republicans back Max Miller reelection, but keep their distance

Many House Republicans are backing Rep. Max Miller’s (R-Ohio) bid for reelection — but they’re also keeping their distance.

Those Republicans want to preserve a seat once considered safely in GOP hands while at the same time avoiding any discussion of the domestic abuse allegations that have engulfed the Ohio Republican.

Miller has faced mounting scrutiny in recent months after his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, accused him of throwing hot water at her, pointing a gun at her head and breaking their daughter’s collarbone. Miller has denied the allegations.

He has also remained in the reelection race, despite calls from a number of Senate Republicans, including his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), for him to resign and abandon his campaign.

His insistence on staying in the race has put House GOP leaders in a bind as they seek to protect their razor-thin majority in a midterm cycle that historically puts the president’s party on the defensive. They have little incentive to give up on a seat they need to hold, but also little appetite for publicly defending Miller against the allegations.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said last week that he supports Miller’s reelection bid and called him a “great member.” The House Ethics Committee is investigating Miller over domestic abuse and illegal drug use allegations.

“He’s running a good campaign,” Johnson said last week, according to Politico. “He has a nasty divorce. He’s, of course, vehemently denied the claims made. And as I’ve said many times, we allow due process to play out.”

Despite that, Johnson said he has “no plans” to campaign with Miller, according to Politico .

“I have no plans to go to Ohio between now and the election,” Johnson said. “I’ve said everything I can say about the situation. It’s up to the people in his district.”

Likewise, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (Mich.) told host Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday that she is focused on “keeping the House” in Republican hands and praised Miller as a “good advocate for his constituents.”

She added, “He’s chosen to stay in the race. So, like I said earlier, divorces are really ugly. I hope this comes out that he’s OK, but at the end of the day, he’s our nominee right now. I wish … the allegations aren’t true, but at the end of the day, we got to continue to do what’s right for the American people, and that’s what we’re trying to do: keeping more money in your pocket, making sure we secure the border and making sure crime rates are down.”

McClain said she supports “anybody with an ‘R’ behind their name” and that they’ve “got to let the process play out.”

Other Republicans have issued similar calls. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), the chair of the Republican Women’s Caucus, previously said in a statement that the allegations against Miller are “deeply troubling” and “deserve a fair, thorough review.”

“Due process is not optional—it is how the truth is established and justice is served. This is clearly an evolving situation, with new allegations continuing to emerge, which is all the more reason to let the full process play out and follow the facts wherever they lead. The Ethics Committee is now reviewing these allegations, and I respect that process. Above all, this is an incredibly painful situation for everyone involved, and my heart especially breaks for the little girl caught in the middle,” Cammack said.

Johnson has also previously pointed to the Ethics Committee when asked about Miller and other Republicans with allegations against them. But the panel is notoriously slow and meticulous, and it traditionally does not release the results of investigations within 60 days of an election.

In the meantime, numerous polls have shown Miller trailing his Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, in a district that President Trump won by 11 points in 2024. A co/efficient polling memo released last month, for instance, showed Poindexter leading Miller by 14 points as opposed to a previous survey that showed the margin between the candidates at 5 points. The poll added that because of what voters have seen, read or heard about Miller, 48 percent are less likely to support the congressman, with Republicans 37 percent less likely to support him.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report in June shifted Miller’s seat from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican” and last month moved it to “toss-up.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), in turn, announced it added Poindexter to its competitive “Red to Blue” program, aimed at arming candidates “with organizational and fundraising support to help them continue building winning campaigns.”

“Max Miller’s scandal-ridden record is so toxic that even his own party has given up on him. Between his lengthy history of domestic abuse allegations and his indefensible record of selling out his constituents, Miller’s party bosses will barely lift a finger for him because they know he’s a lost cause. Democrats are all-in behind Brian Poindexter — a fighter who will actually show up for his district — and his addition to Red to Blue shows just how serious we are about flipping this seat,” DCCC spokesperson Riya Vashi told The Hill in a statement.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), on the other hand, has been going all in for Miller. The group combined forces with the Miller campaign and launched a three-week ad buy that started Sept. 7 and is totaling more than $450,000, according to Politico .

“Democrat Brian Poindexter backs a radical far-left agenda that’s completely out of touch with northeast Ohio. Ohioans will re-elect Congressman Max Miller and reject Bernie-bro Brian Poindexter and his socialist agenda,” NRCC spokesperson Zach Bannon told The Hill, referencing progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Abigail Angelos, spokesperson for Miller, said, “The good people of the Ohio 7th district are standing behind Congressman Miller and the recent support from the NRCC confirms the party is standing behind him as well.”

“He looks forward to returning in November,” she added.