Max Miller

The final deadline for Representative Max Miller to remove himself from Ohio’s general-election ballot came and went Monday as the congressman continues his reelection bid in defiance of bipartisan calls for his resignation and allegations of abuse from his ex-wife. The two-term congressman is projecting confidence about his chances in November, and he still has the support of President Trump, but there are growing signs that Miller’s prospects are dim.

On Tuesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party’s campaign arm, announced it was adding Miller’s Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, to its “Red to Blue” program, ensuring the Brook Park City Council member and union ironworker will have additional financial and organizational resources as he looks to flip the seat. Washington representative Suzan DelBene, the DCCC chairman, called Poindexter “exactly the kind of leader Ohio families deserve in Congress.”

The move from the DCCC signals the Democratic Party’s confidence that Poindexter could overperform in the reliably red 7th Congressional District with the scandal-scarred Miller representing the Republican Party on the ballot. They’re not the only ones. That same day, the Cook Political Report — which offers nonpartisan electoral analysis — shifted its rating of the 7th District from “Likely Republican” to a “toss-up,” a strong warning about the state of Miller’s reelection chances. A Tavern Research poll conducted last week showed Poindexter leading 54 percent to Miller’s 46 percent among likely voters.

Poindexter addressed Miller’s decision to stay in the race, reiterating in a statement issued Monday that if the allegations against Miller are true, he “should be in prison, not in Congress.”

“It’s unfortunate that Miller has chosen to keep putting his ex-wife and her family through this nightmare in the public spotlight. But let me be perfectly clear. I got into this campaign to fight for my neighbors and for working people across this district. That continues to be my north star,” he said.

Miller’s campaign has appeared to be in a state of free fall after reports unearthed allegations of domestic abuse levied by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, with whom he is currently locked in a divisive and increasingly public custody battle. Local and national outlets have reported that Moreno has alleged several instances of violence, claiming Miller threw hot water on her from a pan and once held a gun to her head. The congressman emphatically denied Moreno’s claims in a lengthy livestream on X and rebuffed calls for him to leave the race. “I’m not getting out of this race and I’m winning in November,” he said last week.

Miller also faces earlier allegations of assault from an ex-girlfriend, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, and another woman who says Miller pushed her down a flight of stairs when they were both teenagers.

So far, Miller has yet to lose the public support of President Trump, who previously tapped him as a political appointee during his first term and has supported him through his subsequent congressional career. When asked by reporters whether he believed Miller should drop his bid, the president instead expressed sympathy for Miller’s situation and indicated he intends to stay out of it. “I hope he’s able to work it out. I feel badly for him,” Trump said last Wednesday. Privately, Trump reportedly called Miller and told him that “things aren’t looking good” for his reelection, per an Axios report.

But a new report detailed Trump’s efforts behind-the-scenes to keep Miller on the ballot. Politico reports that White House officials urged Ohio Republicans against pressuring the congressman to drop his reelection bid, citing three sources familiar with the conversations. Per the outlet, the officials pointed to Miller’s intention to stay in the race and suggested that a public campaign against him would be harder to defend down the line if he remained on the ballot. These private calls followed a CNN report that House Republicans were pushing for Trump to call on Miller to drop out.