Embattled Rep. Max Miller Concedes in Ohio

Embattled Congressman Max Miller, the Ohio Republican accused of assaulting three women, conceded his tenuous bid for a third term.

“I am disappointed at this evening’s election results. I have fought earnestly to continue to represent the interests of my home and community in the Ohio 7th District,” he wrote on X late Tuesday.

Shortly after midnight, NBC News projected Democrat Brian Poindexter as the winner of the Cleveland-area House district. With 80 percent of votes counted, Poindexter leads Miller by 8 points.

President Donald Trump and Miller both handily won the region in 2024, but Miller’s 2026 campaign ultimately failed to overcome the issues plaguing his personal life and reputation. In July, Mother Jones was the first news outlet to report several of the specific allegations against Miller by combing through more than 2,000 pages of court filings and police reports obtained through public records requests.

The trove of documents contains allegations of drug use by Miller, misogyny and verbal abuse, and violent behavior against multiple women. The filings also include evidence that Miller implicitly threatened his ex-father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno.

Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, accused Miller of holding a gun to her head while she changed their toddler’s diaper, shoving Moreno against a wall, and throwing boiling water at her. Moreno reported these accusations to Ohio police when they were investigating the broken collarbone of their two-year-old.

As I reported over the summer, the “bruising surrounding the clavicle fracture made the injury suspicious,” according to a detective. An investigative report also included a statement from a child wellness expert, who said the injury would have “required a high degree of impact to occur.”

Moreno reported that the child was in Miller’s custody when the injury occurred, though Cuyahoga County’s DCFS investigation into possible child abuse was ultimately “unsubstantiated.” That means there was not enough evidence to support a finding of neglect or abuse. Miller denies hurting his child and says he has never committed violence against women.

Beyond Miller’s ex-wife, Stephanie Grisham also said she was assaulted by someone she worked with during the first Trump Administration. Politico reported in 2021 that it was Miller who slapped her and shoved her against a wall.

The 2021 Politico article reported that Milled pushed a girl down a flight of stairs at a high school house party in front of multiple witnesses. The woman, who requested anonymity, told Mother Jones this year that it was “one of the more traumatic nights of my life.”

Miller’s campaign also suffered as a result of general GOP fatigue as voters have grown frustrated with high prices they attribute to Trump’s policies.

Meanwhile, the focus of Poindexter’s campaign was affordability. As a union ironworker of nearly 20 years, the 47-year-old father of three resonated with voters—especially those in his blue collar neighborhood of Brook Park, where Poindexter has served as a city council member for the past nine years.

“Does anybody in here feel like the economy is doing great? How about gas prices?” he asked attendees of an event I attended in August. “How about the grocery store? You guys feel comfortable going to the grocery? I mean, I don’t know about you all, but I have experience putting things back on the shelves.”

At a Cleveland-area event hosted by Ohio Democrats on Sunday evening, several voters noted they liked Poindexter because he understands what it’s like to be working class.

Following along with Poindexter canvassers in nearby Parma the next day, I met a voter who said she was undecided on the race. That is, until the door-knockers told her who Poindexter’s opponent was.

“Against Max?” the woman asked the volunteers. “Enough said.”