Embattled Republican Rep. Max Miller says he will continue his bid for reelection in Ohio, even as allegations of spousal and child abuse have intensified scrutiny around a contest Democrats increasingly see as winnable.
Emily Moreno, Miller’s ex-wife and the daughter of Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, has alleged in court filings that Miller threw boiling water at her, held a gun to her head, shoved her into a wall and fractured their daughter’s collarbone. Miller has denied all of the accusations.
Despite public pressure from Ohio’s other Republican senator, Jon Husted, and several fellow Republicans urging him to leave the race, a Miller spokesperson told The New York Times that the congressman intends to remain a candidate.
Ohio law gives Miller until Saturday to withdraw if Republicans are to have enough time to select a replacement before the 4 p.m. Monday deadline.
Miller is set to face Democrat Brian Poindexter, a local city council member and union ironworker, in a district Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024 — a margin that has not stopped Democrats from eyeing the seat as a possible pickup.
A recent poll showed Poindexter leading Miller by 14 points, with respondents showing high levels of awareness of the allegations against Miller.
The Daily Mail has contacted both Miller and Poindexter for comment.
In a post on X, Husted said he knows Miller, Emily Moreno, Sen. Bernie Moreno and the former couple’s daughter, adding: “I do not see how a campaign for Congress benefits any of them.”
Embattled Republican Congressman Max Miller (pictured) has confirmed he will remain in the race for his Ohio seat despite allegations of spousal and child abuse
The Daily Mail was the first to reveal in May that Miller was facing domestic abuse allegations from Moreno, publishing photographs she took of her alleged injuries. Miller has denied the allegations
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‘I believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter,’ he wrote.
‘Years from now, I believe he will look back and know it was the right choice for her.’
Fueling the panic is brutal electoral math, because a northeast Ohio district that Donald Trump carried by 11 points in 2024 is suddenly in danger of tumbling to the Democrats, who smell blood in the seat, according to two Ohio insiders.
Party chiefs were said to be already war-gaming substitutes behind his back as the August 10 deadline nears, with names including former congressman Jim Renacci and state representative Mike Dovilla in the mix.
Miller has steadfastly refused to budge, vowing this week, ‘I’m not dropping out of this race, and I’ll win in November,’ and even comparing his ordeal on CNN to Trump toughing out the storm of allegations that battered him in 2016.
Trump himself sounds far less bullish, with Miller admitting the President warned him ‘Maxi, it’s going to be a tough race’ and said he did not know if he could ‘pull this one out.’
The President told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he’s ‘not going to get involved’ with getting Miller out of his congressional race.
The Daily Mail first reported Emily Moreno’s abuse allegations against Miller in May, and this week revealed photos of what a source said shows a syringe in Miller’s bedroom and another picture of him holding up a bag of high-potency marijuana gummies.
Moreno, the daughter of Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno (pictured), has accused ex-husband Miller in court filings of throwing boiling water at her, holding a gun to her head, shoving her against a wall and fracturing their daughter’s collarbone. He has denied all of her allegations
The House Ethics Committee has now formally opened an investigation into the domestic violence and drug abuse accusations as he demanded to clear his name. Miller himself called for the investigation into the allegations.
Most recently, a new element to the saga has shocked members of the public and DC insiders alike. Miller’s ex-father-in-law, Senator Bernie Moreno, told reporters that his granddaughter, Miller and Emily Moreno’s daughter, ‘has a little blue bunny that she sleeps with. Max would not hand over the little blue bunny. Literally held it hostage for 48 hours.
‘This girl is crying at night because she can’t sleep without her little blue bunny. And his answer is, “I’m just not going to give it to you,”‘ he added. ‘This is the level of total and complete depravity.’
An Ohio political insider predicted to the Daily Mail that it is ‘only going to get uglier if he doesn’t step aside,’ adding: ‘The American public shouldn’t know about a child’s blue bunny.’
Miller denies withholding the bunny, and insisted in a post on X that his daughter got the toy back within 14 hours, not 48.
On Wednesday, Miller posted screenshots of the purported text messages and emails on X, insisting they prove he never withheld his daughter’s beloved blue bunny and that she got it back within 14 hours.
The messages appear to show he agreed to a pickup arranged by the couple’s parenting coordinator, but refused to hand the toy over to a family friend who wasn’t on the approved exchange list. Miller demanded that his father-in-law collect the stuffed animal himself.
In a gambit to clear his name from the nasty allegations lobbed at him, Miller also released a trove of files last weekend.
On Wednesday, Miller posted screenshots of the purported text messages and emails on X, insisting they prove he never withheld his daughter’s beloved blue bunny and that she got it back within 14 hours
Screenshots of emails Miller claimed to have exchanged with his ex-wife about the bunny toy
Miller posted a screenshot of an apparent conversation coordinating the pick up of the toy
Among them are audio recordings of him arguing with his ex-wife over the syringes she claims to have found near his bed.
‘I have gone into your backpack because I truly do believe you have a drug problem,’ Emily said in one of the audio tapes.
A defiant Miller shot back: ‘Okay, what drugs?’
‘First it was weed, then I found needles next to your bed,’ Moreno told Miller, according to the recording. ‘I took a picture of it. You can try to deny it to me.’
Miller repeatedly denied any drug use during the back and forth, promising so to his ex-wife by invoking his ‘Jewish word of honor.’
Pressed by CNN host Jake Tapper this week on the last time he had illegal drugs, Miller responded that it was years ago, though exactly when, he said, he was unsure.
Miller, who has denied all wrongdoing, has refused to resign from Congress or drop his re-election bid. He was endorsed by President Donald Trump, his former boss, in May
Miller released a video this week addressing the allegations against him, denying wrongdoing against his wife and young daughter. He has repeatedly stressed that Emily Moreno suffers from mental health issues
This image appears to have been taken by Emily Moreno inside the home she shared with Miller, a source familiar with the matter told the Daily Mail. The Ohio Congressman has admitted he’s used syringes for testosterone treatment
‘I would have to say, the last time I had illegal drugs would have been, I don’t know, several years ago. I mean I don’t have a time frame on it, but I don’t use illegal drugs.’
Miller, a former aide to Trump during the Republican’s first term, has also been accused by his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham, a former press secretary for the President during his first term, of domestic abuse. Miller denied the allegations.
After he sued her for defamation over her claims, which first surfaced in 2021, the pair settled the case and signed a non-disclosure agreement to refrain from disparaging each other. They dated in 2019 and 2020.
This week, Grisham filed a petition for a restraining order against Miller.
‘The settlement included certain promises that Congressman Miller made to our client Stephanie Grisham, and those promises were broken,’ Grisham’s lawyer, Marc Dann, told the Ohio Capital Journal.
Miller has not commented on the restraining order.
However, it’s not just the Ohio delegation that have knives out for Miller.
Republican Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said Miller ‘should resign.’
An earlier incident on June 9, 2024, saw the Congressman allegedly hurl a pot of boiling water at Emily during an argument inside their Ohio home, with some of the water striking her chest while their then eight-month-old daughter was present, multiple sources with direct knowledge said
The most recent alleged attack came on February 1, when Miller allegedly grabbed and struck Emily during a custody exchange at his Ohio home, leaving bruises on her arm, elbow, and torso as the couple’s two-year-old daughter, Ruth, looked on
Miller ‘shouldn’t be in office,’ Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida said.
House and Senate GOP leadership have largely remained mum on the matter, likely in deference to Trump, who has not yet called on Miller to resign.
Still, Trump understands that the scandal could be damaging to Republicans.
The President spoke to Miller by phone about the ongoing scandal on Monday.
‘Things aren’t looking good,’ Trump reportedly told the embattled Congressman, to which Miller responded that he would be staying in the race.
The President told reporters earlier that day that the allegations against Miller are just ‘accusations,’ adding that ‘I’m going to let them figure that out.’
The White House did not respond to the Daily Mail’s inquiries on whether the President has spoken to Miller since Monday, or whether he still stands by his endorsement of Miller.
The Congressman’s conviction to stay in the race despite the allegations against him could imperil Republicans’ larger hopes of maintaining control of Congress.
Congressman Miller and his ex-wife Moreno reached a divorce settlement in June 2025 and agreed to joint custody of their daughter, as well as $2,500 per month in child support from Miller. On Thursday, Moreno filed a restraining order on behalf of her attorney against Miller
Despite calls from Ohio’s other Republican Senator Jon Husted (pictured) and several other Republicans to drop out of the race, a spokesperson for Miller told The New York Times he’s staying in
As the November midterm elections approach, and incumbent lawmakers increasingly focus on their campaigns to secure re-election, some GOP members of Congress have tried to avoid speaking out on Miller’s scandal altogether.
‘I have heard people are concerned and do not want to publicly support him as more comes out,’ one Republican House member told the Daily Mail.
Prediction markets show Republicans are poised for a beatdown in November, with Kalshi projecting that Democrats have an 83 percent chance of controlling the House next year. The projections are similar on rival prediction platform Polymarket.
The Daily Mail has contacted Moreno and Miller’s legal representatives for comment.
