WASHINGTON — Embattled Rep. Max Miller blew past the 4 p.m. deadline Wednesday to step aside and allow for a special election to replace him in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District.
Miller (R-Ohio) can still withdraw from the race before Aug. 10, which would permit local Republicans to select a replacement for him as he grapples with a firestorm over abuse accusations that he has denied.
“I am never going to give up,” Miller insisted to CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday. “And what I mean by that is my daughter is going to grow up one day, and she’s going to see all of this. And she’s not going to see that her father caved to political and social media pressures for something that he never did.”
Should Miller miss the Aug. 10 deadline, Republicans won’t be able to replace him.
Had Miller dropped out Wednesday, it would have avoided the scenario that played out in Maine last month, where local Democratic leaders, rather than voters, scrambled to select a replacement for former Senate candidate Graham Platner.
The scandal-scarred congressman acknowledged that he has been “struggling” over whether or not to drop out of the race.
Miller’s decision to remain on the ballot after winning the May 5 primary has caused headaches for Republicans.
President Trump won his district by 11 points in 2024, but recent polls show Miller running neck and neck with Bernie Sanders-endorsed Brian Poindexter this year.
Additionally, it has put Republicans running in competitive races in the Buckeye State, including for US Senate, on the spot and forced to answer questions from the media and Democrats about the accusations against Miller.
Trump had spoken with Miller by phone this week and was rumored to have encouraged him to step aside, something the congressman denied. Miller has cited Trump’s overcoming of scandal as part of his inspiration to stay in the race.
“I hope he’s able to work it out. I feel badly for him,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
Miller has been accused of abusing his ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), including by shoving her during a custody exchange earlier this year, holding a gun to her head, and dumping hot water on her.
The congressman has also faced questions about his 2-year-old daughter’s broken collarbone and “what appeared to be a handprint bruise” on her shoulder, according to a police report.
Those accusations were made in police reports and court documents. Emily has not addressed the matter publicly. Miller underscored that they have been investigated and he still has joint custody of the two-year-old for now.
Sen. Moreno broke his silence on Miller Sunday, calling him unfit to serve in Congress and urging him to get psychological help after trying to avoid drawing press attention to the private matter.
Emily isn’t the only person to make abuse accusations against Miller. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham did as well in her book, and court documents show there are rumors about him shoving a girl down the stairs when he was in high school.
On Tuesday, Miller announced that he was requesting that the House Ethics Committee open an investigation into him.
The committee is notorious for taking a long time to complete its investigations, and the panel might’ve been poised to look into him regardless.
