Max Miller, US Republican Representative candidate for Ohio, takes the stage during a ‘Save America’ rally in Vandalia, Ohio, US, on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022.
Joshua A Pickel | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio said his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, should not serve in the House of Representatives and “needs serious psychological help” after the senator’s daughter accused the congressman of domestic abuse.
“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives,” Moreno, who was elected to the Senate in 2024, said in a statement posted to X on Sunday. “I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”
Moreno’s statement comes as Miller, R-Ohio, who denies the allegations against him, runs for reelection in a solidly red district. In a video statement Sunday, Miller said he will not back out of his reelection bid as the allegations threaten to engulf his campaign and cost the GOP a seat.
Emily Moreno has accused Miller, her ex-husband, of assault during their marriage. She has claimed he threw hot water on her, held a gun to her head and broke their daughter’s collarbone. Miller has said the claims are not true and has accused his ex-wife of having mental health challenges.
“Every one of these allegations traces back to a single source, my former wife,” Miller said in the statement, where he countered her claims. “Not one of these allegations has ever been substantiated by any court or any agency.”
Miller also released a set of files that he said would exonerate him.
Emily Moreno’s spokesperson, Stefan Mychajliw, said in a statement following the video, that it is “shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career.”
Ohio Republican Senator-elect Bernie Moreno at the CNBC CFO Council Summit 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Brian Stukes | CNBC
“There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that,” Mychajliw said. “Miller can lie and spin on X, but he cannot do so under oath in a court of law. We are confident that justice will prevail in court.”
Miller’s election in Ohio is critical for the 2026 midterms, which will determine the balance of power in the House and Senate for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term. Democrats are favored in the contest, holding a 6.4% point advantage in the RealClearPolitics generic ballot average. And while Miller’s seat was not seen as a likely flip for Democrats, a cascading scandal could put the seat in play.
Brian Poindexter, the Democratic challenger in the district, said Sunday that no one “credibly accused of holding a gun to his wife’s head and breaking their two-year-old daughter’s collarbone belongs in the halls of power.”
Sen. Moreno’s statement on Sunday was one of the first he’s made since the new details about the allegations against Miller were blown into public view. Republicans face a pressing Aug. 5 deadline, the last day that Miller can withdraw in time for a replacement to be named.
“As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help,” the senator said. “He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”
Miller, in his video statement, made clear he has no intention of withdrawing.
“I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November,” Miller said.