Miller vows to stay in race as assault allegations roil Ohio GOP

Max Miller said he would stay in the race after denying domestic abuse allegations involving his ex-wife and their 2-year-old daughter, while Donald Trump declined to call for his resignation and praised him as “a good person.” The clash has turned Miller’s reelection bid into a larger test of how Republicans handle serious personal misconduct claims against an incumbent ally.

Bernie Moreno, the Ohio senator who is Miller’s former father-in-law, broke with the former Trump aide and called on him to resign, saying Miller “should not serve in Congress.” Miller and Emily Moreno were married for two years before their 2024 divorce, and the allegations against him have unfolded alongside a bitter custody fight that has pulled in police reports and court filings.

The accusations have intensified in early August as Moreno’s lawyer sought a restraining order and other filings added detail to the case. Miller has denied the claims, including allegations that he grabbed Moreno, threw hot water and held a gun to her head. Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, said the situation was “a very sad thing” and said, “I’m going to let the families figure that out,” even as allies pressed him to call on Miller to drop out. Republican colleagues have largely kept their distance rather than openly defending him.

The political damage reaches beyond one family dispute. Miller is seeking a third term in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, a seat long viewed as safe for Republicans but now considered more vulnerable if the allegations continue to dominate the race. Ohio GOP officials also faced a deadline to replace him on the ballot if he withdrew, with a special primary needed if he dropped out by the close of business Tuesday. Democrats are already treating the uproar as a possible pickup opportunity, adding urgency to a race that had been expected to stay comfortably in Republican hands.