Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller is dismissing pressure on him to drop out of his reelection campaign over allegations of domestic abuse.
Mr. Miller, 37, has been accused by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, of physically abusing her and their daughter — allegations he denies.
Ms. Moreno is the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno, also an Ohio Republican, who in recent days has broken his silence, saying Mr. Miller “needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”
The senator added, “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.”
Mr. Miller has rejected Ms. Moreno’s accusations that he threw boiling water at her, held a gun to her head and abused their daughter.
Ms. Moreno and Mr. Miller were married in 2022 at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with the current president in attendance. They had a daughter in 2023 and divorced in 2024.
“No court and no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. No criminal charge has ever been filed against me,” Mr. Miller said.
Mr. Miller has joint custody of his daughter.
His ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham has also accused him of physical abuse.
On Monday, Mr. Miller said in a statement to CNN that he will not bow out of the race.
“If I dropped out of this race, it would mean we as a nation have fallen so far from our American values. I will not validate false claims by removing myself just to please the court of public opinion,” he said. “I am innocent of all of the allegations that have been attributed to me. I have done well representing (my) constituents’ interests. Why would I drop out?”
Other Republican senators, such as Roger Marshall of Kansas and Rick Scott of Florida, have called for Mr. Miller to step down.
President Trump on Monday called Mr. Miller a “good person” and said he will “let the families figure that out.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Miller told a CNN reporter that he spoke with Mr. Trump and that the president “never asked me to drop out.”
Mr. Miller did, however, tell The Wall Street Journal that the president told him “it’s going to be tough, and it’s going to be a really hard one for you.”
In June, the Cook Political Report, a political forecaster, rated Mr. Miller’s district “likely Republican” as he faces Democrat Brian Poindexter in November.
Former Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Renacci has already expressed interest in filling Mr. Miller’s place if he drops out.
“I’m getting calls from everybody,” Mr. Renacci told Axios. “Many people have asked me to consider, if he did step out, if I would be interested, only because it’s my old seat.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Miller said he was filing paperwork to initiate a House Ethics Committee investigation of himself “to clear my name.”
The committee subsequently announced it had begun the review of allegations that he “engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use.”
