Incumbent Rep. Max Miller is projected to lose his reelection bid for Ohio’s 7th District after allegations of domestic violence surfaced during a contentious divorce that played out over the course of the general election.
Democrat Brian Poindexter, a union iron worker and self-professed “girl dad,” is projected to win, according to Decision Desk HQ.
The country has reckoned with high-profile gender-based violence cases, especially in Ohio, in the months before the election. This has translated into consequences for some men in Congress accused of sexual misconduct, including multiple resignations, official censure and a primary loss.
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The domestic violence allegations against Miller came from his ex-wife Emily Moreno and were revealed in court records first obtained by Mother Jones. Miller has denied any wrongdoing.
Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, Emily’s father, said Miller is unfit to hold office and that “I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”
Miller attempted to frame the situation to his advantage: In one ad, the incumbent used his divorce to relate to voters going through their own separations and cast himself in a sympathetic light.
But it wasn’t enough.
Poindexter will be the first Democrat to represent the district, which extends south of Cleveland’s suburbs, in decades. Both the Poindexter campaign and political action committees ran ads emphasizing Miller’s alleged history of violence, including accusations made by his ex-girlfriend and a high school classmate. (He has denied both accounts.)
