Representative Max Miller, the Ohio Republican whose campaign was rocked by accusations that he physically abused his ex-wife and young daughter, lost his re-election bid, according to The Associated Press, handing Democrats a seat in deep-red territory as they won House control.
Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker, defeated Mr. Miller, a two-term congressman whose political rise was fueled by his close relationship with President Trump, in a district Mr. Trump won by a double-digit margin two years ago. Mr. Miller had rejected calls by fellow Republicans to drop out of the race after he was accused by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, of domestic abuse against her and their 2-year-old daughter.
Ms. Moreno, the daughter of Senator Bernie Moreno, also an Ohio Republican, said that Mr. Miller had scalded her chest and stomach by throwing hot water from a skillet at her body; held a gun to her head; pushed her against a wall and hit her head; and fractured their daughter’s collarbone and bruised her shoulder. The allegations came to light as part of a lengthy divorce court battle.
Mr. Miller denied all of the accusations and embarked on a defiant media tour in which he accused his ex-wife of being mentally unstable, a liar, a stalker and a dangerous individual.
As the sordid family drama gained national attention, some powerful Ohio Republicans, including Senator Jon Husted, pressed Mr. Miller to exit the race and resign. Mr. Moreno, who at first tried to avoid questions about Mr. Miller, eventually said that his former son-in-law was not fit to hold public office.
“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Mr. Moreno said in an emotional statement. The House Ethics Committee also opened a review of the domestic abuse allegations.
Some White House officials wanted Mr. Miller to drop out of the race in time for Republicans to replace him on the ballot, but the president stopped short of asking Mr. Miller to drop out.
In a private phone call, Mr. Trump simply warned him that it might be difficult for him to win given the allegations. Mr. Miller was resolute that he would do what the president himself had done when faced with personal scandals seen as fatal to his presidential campaigns: stay in and fight.
Mr. Poindexter continued to work full time as an apprentice instructor throughout his primary campaign. He tried to make his own relatable life story part of his pitch to win over working-class Trump voters.
“I never got in this race to run because Max Miller is terrible in his personal life,” he said in an interview. “I got in it to run because of policies that hurt us.”
Despite the accusations, Mr. Miller was never fully deserted by House Republican leaders. Once it became clear there was no way to replace him on the ballot, they quietly spent more than $5 million to defend his seat, according to the ad-tracking service AdImpact.
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