Republican Rep. Max Miller is still running for reelection, even as leaders in his party wrestle with what it means to have a candidate accused of abusing his ex-wife and daughter.
Emily Moreno filed for divorce from Miller in 2024 after a two-year marriage. The pair have since been embroiled in a custody battle that has drawn in Moreno’s father, Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, also a Republican, and led to uncomfortable questions for President Donald Trump and U.S. House leadership.
According to court documents, Moreno alleged Miller threw hot water from a skillet at her, scalding her chest and stomach; held a gun to her head; and fractured their two-year-old daughter’s collarbone.
The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Miller, who is seeking a third term representing Ohio’s 7th District, has vehemently denied allegations and refuses to end his campaign. He responded by suing Emily Moreno for defamation and calling her mentally ill, a liar and a stalker. Still, Republicans have until Wednesday to decide whether to replace Miller on the ballot. Democrats are increasingly hopeful they will be able to flip the seat if Miller remains.
“I categorically deny abusing my former wife. Family court disputes are often emotional, painful and deeply personal,” Miller said in a livestream Sunday that lasted nearly 20 minutes. “And unfortunately anyone who has lived through a contested custody case, it is not uncommon for exaggerated, even entirely baseless allegations of abuse, to surface in exactly this setting as leverage. Unfortunately, those private disputes have been turned into public spectacle, and now I have to address them.”
In response, Moreno’s father — a first-term senator elected in 2024 — broke his silence on the matter and released a statement saying his former son-in-law “should not serve” because “if there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them.” The lawmaker said the past two years had been “pure hell” for his wife and daughter and horrific to watch it all play out in public view.
“Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible,” Sen. Moreno said in a post on X. “As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”
The senator is a rare Republican voice calling for Miller’s resignation. No other GOP senators or Republicans in the House have denounced Miller.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has emphasized that Miller only faces allegations and that those claims should work their way through an official process conducted by the House Ethics Committee.
On July 30, the leaders of the Democratic Women’s Caucus called for an ethics investigation into Miller.
“The recent reports of domestic violence and child abuse against Representative Max Miller are deeply disturbing and Congress can’t ignore them,” Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez, Emilia Sykes and Hillary Scholten wrote in a statement. “Allegations of violence against women and children have to be met with the utmost seriousness.”
Trump briefly addressed the matter on Sunday.
“I’m going to look at it,” said Trump, who has a long history of defending men in his orbit credibly accused of sexual assault and denying assault allegations against himself. “I mean, so far, it’s accusations.”
A recent Politico poll found that the majority of Trump’s MAGA base would continue to vote for a candidate despite scandals, such as a DUI conviction, accepting lobbyist gifts, antisemitic social media posts or assault allegations. About two-thirds of self-identified MAGA voters said they would support a Republican candidate accused of sexual assault, which is 13 percentage points higher than the broader share of Trump voters. And 72 percent of MAGA voters said they would support a GOP candidate accused of domestic violence, according to the poll.
Moreno is not the only woman to accuse Miller of abuse: Stephanie Grisham, who served as press secretary and White House communications director during part of Trump’s first term, described in her memoir dating someone in the administration who was physically abusive. She later identified that person as Miller.
Domestic violence services remain operational throughout the country. Confidential, anonymous help is available 24/7 through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (1-800-799-7233) or online. The Network/La Red (617-742-4911) and the Anti-Violence Project (212-714-1141) both run confidential, anonymous 24/7 domestic violence crisis lines specifically for LGBTQ+ people.
