Miller-Moreno marriage ends in abuse allegations, nasty custody fight
Max Miller and Emily Moreno’s marriage ended in a bitter custody fight after abuse allegations and multiple court battles.
- Rep. Max Miller says he’ll continue in his reelection bid, despite calls for him to resign because of domestic abuse allegations.
- Miller staying in the race could have ramifications for Republicans, who are hoping to hold onto their slim majority in the November election.
- Sen. Bernie Moreno, Miller’s father-in-law, has called on him to resign but other GOP leaders have remained neutral.
COLUMBUS, OH – Rep. Max Miller’s decision to stay in the race for his northeast Ohio district despite domestic abuse allegations could put a safe Republican seat in play, threatening the GOP’s control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“It’s the wrong year for a scandal like this for a Republican,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the University of Virginia Center for Politics’ newsletter on American campaigns and elections. “The Republicans seem to be struggling, in general, and you add this on top of it, all of a sudden, a Trump plus-11 district becomes a viable Democratic target.”
Crystal Ball shifted the race between Miller and Democratic candidate Brian Poindexter from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican” on July 30, before Miller announced Aug. 2 that he would stay in the race and before U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, publicly criticized his former son-in-law.
“I do think it could be a tossup if he stays in,” Kondik said.
Democrats need a net gain of three seats to take control of the U.S. House in the Nov. 3 election.
Miller announced on X that he would continue his reelection bid as the deadline was fast approaching for Republicans to replace him on the ballot. Aug. 10 is the cutoff, but party leaders would need to schedule and hold a meeting to pick a substitute days before then.
The district covers Medina and Ashland counties and parts of Cuyahoga and Wayne counties.
Trump allies want president to tell Miller to quit
President Donald Trump, who has been both a Miller and a Bernie Moreno supporter and attended Miller and Emily Moreno’s wedding, told CBS News on Aug. 3 that Miller is a “very good person” and said he’s going to “let the families figure” it out.
“Those families, I know they’re working on it. It’s a very sad thing,” Trump said. “But it’s accusations.”
On Monday, CNN reported that some Trump allies want the president to tell Miller to quit.
CNN reported that Trump has told some that he doesn’t think Miller can win given the allegations against him.
Miller and ex-wife Emily Moreno are in an ugly custody battle
Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, divorced in June 2025 and are involved in a custody battle over their 2-year-old daughter. Both are seeking sole custody. A trial is scheduled for Nov. 5.
Moreno has alleged Miller was abusive toward her during and after their marriage. She claims he threw boiling water on her, shoved her against a wall and held a gun to her head.
Miller has repeatedly denied abusing Moreno or their daughter. In his announcement on X, he blamed his ex-wife’s alleged mental health problems for the allegations. Moreno’s attorneys have denied that she has mental health issues.
Miller has never faced any criminal charges regarding any of the alleged abuse. He is suing his ex-wife for defamation.
The allegations have drawn growing political attention.
The Democratic Women’s Caucus called on the House Committee on Ethics to investigate Miller. U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, is vice chair of the group.
“The recent reports of domestic violence and child abuse against Representative Max Miller are deeply disturbing and Congress cannot ignore them,” the caucus said in a July 30 statement.
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, questioned whether Congress should intervene.
“This is a matter of litigation,” Turner said Aug. 2 on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “This is best handled in a courtroom and not in a TV studio.”
Bernie Moreno, other Republicans weigh in
Bernie Moreno largely stayed silent about the fight between Miller and his daughter until Miller said he would remain in the race.
The senator posted on X that Miller “is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.” He said Miller shouldn’t serve in Congress.
Gov. Mike DeWine called the allegations against Miller serious and troubling during an event at the Ohio State Fair.
“He has denied those and has given a very different story,” he said. “In this country, we settle a lot of things by elections, and it’s going to be the people of the district that he represents who will make that decision.”
Spokespeople for the Ohio Republican Party and GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had not responded to requests for comment as of publication time.
Jim Renacci, a former member of Congress from Ohio who is among those mentioned as a potential replacement for Miller, called these “allegations between family members.” He also said Bernie Moreno should have spoken out before the primary in which Miller faced no competition.
“Family disputes don’t make for facts,” Renacci said. “The problem I have really with Sen. Moreno is, if you really believed what he said yesterday, you should have come out and said it before the primary. He should have told people this is what he believed.”
Renacci said these allegations could cause Miller “to lose the election.”
Trump says Ohio Rep. Max Miller a ‘good person’ amid abuse allegations
President Donald Trump called Ohio Rep. Max Miller a “very good person” despite abuse allegations from his ex-wife and calls for Miller to step down.
Replacing a nominee would be unusual
Republicans have only a few days to decide if they want to replace Miller on the November ballot.
Switching a congressional candidate who has won a primary is rare, said Cherie Strachan, executive director of the University of Akron’s Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.
“It doesn’t happen very often,” she said. “A primary is not nothing − pulling together a campaign to win a primary. It’s not undertaken lightly.”
Strachan could not point to recent Ohio examples of a congressional candidate being replaced but highlighted U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner in Maine as a national example.
Democrats recently selected Troy Jackson as the new nominee replacing Platner, whose campaign was suspended after a woman accused him of raping her in 2021. Platner denied the allegation but, for Democrats, this was the last straw following months of controversy, according to an NPR story.
Jackson, the former president of the Maine Senate, will face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the November election.
Does Demoncrat have a chance?
Matt Diemer, Miller’s Democratic opponent in 2022 and 2024, says Miller staying in the race could help Poindexter.
“Had Max resigned and Republicans replaced him with a normal candidate, this district might not be flippable,” Diemer said on Facebook Aug. 2. “But Max is still there, making this worse, and failing to do what is best for his family, his daughter, or his constituents. That makes this a winnable race.”
A poll by a Republican firm last week showed Miller underwater in the district. Poindexter was up 5 percentage points, polling at 44% to Miller’s 39%, with 16% undecided. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, according to a NOTUS article.
Like the Crystal Ball, the Cook Political Report recently moved the 7th District from “solid R” to “lean R.”
“Every day is a nightmare for Max Miller’s general election campaign with damning headlines, disastrous polling and his devastating economic policies,” Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Marisa Nahem said.
Miller still holds a solid financial advantage, with $1.38 million on hand compared to Poindexter’s $312,000, but recent fundraising has been competitive, according to federal campaign finance reports.
Poindexter, an ironworker and Brook Park City Council member, said he didn’t get into the race because of “how terrible Max Miller is,” but because his policies have made life harder for working-class people.
“I don’t know if he should resign or not, but I would say, if these allegations are true, he should be in jail and it really shows the kind of two-tiered system we have,” he said. “Those that are well-connected can continue on with their life over allegations like this. If he were a mechanic or ironworker or bus driver, we would already have justice in this case.”
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3705. Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@usatodayco.com or @jbalmert on X. Beacon Journal reporter Derek Kreider contributed to this report.