Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) is fighting to regain control of the narrative after months of attacks over allegations that he abused his ex-wife and their daughter.
The congressman’s campaign has launched a new ad criticizing a “relentless press” for the way it has covered the accusations against him. The ad also accuses his Democratic opponent Brian Poindexter of telling lies about him.
Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, has alleged in court documents that he physically abused her, including throwing hot water on her and holding a gun to her head. Emily Moreno has also accused her ex-husband of harming their 2-year-old daughter, who suffered a fractured collarbone in February. Miller has denied the allegations.
The accusations have taken center stage in an Ohio district that was once thought to be reliably Republican but has now become one of the Democrats’ priority pickup targets as they seek to flip the House.
Miller’s new ad opens with a somber sequence of close-ups of various people’s faces as the congressman talks about how divorce affects families.
“Too many of us know the pain of divorce. It’s messy and complicated,” Miller says.
Then, the ad focuses squarely on Miller as he sits at a kitchen table. The setting’s soft color scheme matches the muted tone of his voice, with the congressman wearing a light-blue shirt in the cream-and-beige kitchen.
“For two years, my family’s heartbreak has been dragged on to your TV because, well, that’s politics,” says the congressman, who talks about sharing custody of his daughter with his ex-wife. He does not mention Poindexter but a chyron on the screen accuses the Democratic candidate of telling lies in his campaign ads.
Miller and Moreno finalized their divorce last year but the two remain locked in a custody battle.
Miller, who has been in Congress since 2023, represents Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, which stretches south from the Cleveland suburbs and swung for President Donald Trump by 11 percentage points in 2024.
In the ad, Miller once again denied the accusations and noted that he still maintains equal custody of his daughter.
Miller filed a defamation suit against his ex-wife in May. A months-long investigation by the local police department and the county child welfare agency ultimately failed to identify the cause of their daughter’s broken collarbone. Child welfare agents said abuse may have occurred, but the perpetrator was unknown, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post.
The local prosecutor’s office notified police in May that it had insufficient admissible evidence to bring the case to a grand jury.
Democrats have sought to amplify the abuse claims against Miller in six-figure television campaigns.
The domestic violence allegations are also now the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation, which Miller requested, saying he believed it would clear his name. The committee has yet to publish any findings.
Miller has highlighted Poindexter’s past arrests for drug possession and assault in a September campaign ad.
Miller’s attempt to recast the conversation about his divorce echoed efforts by other candidates who are struggling to overcome concerns about their character.
In Texas, state Sen. Angela Paxton, the estranged wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, recently cut an ad urging voters to back the entire Republican ticket.
Angela Paxton filed for divorce last year against Paxton, the Texas attorney general, after 38 years of marriage on “biblical grounds,” alleging adultery. Claims about the attorney general’s alleged infidelity also came up in a 2023 impeachment trialin the Texas House, where he was ultimately acquitted.
Angela Paxton stopped short of explicitly naming her husband in her message to voters. Ken Paxton is running neck-and-neck in the Senate race with his Democratic opponent, James Talarico.
“In a general election, it’s not as much about the individual players on the team; it’s about getting the whole team across the finish line,” Angela Paxton said in the ad.
Both Paxton and Miller have maintained support from President Donald Trump.
However, Miller’s former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), a close Trump ally, has described Miller as “a danger” and said he “should not serve in the House of Representatives.”
Sen. John Husted (R-Ohio), who is facing his own tight race, called on Miller to resign, saying in a post on X that it would be the “right decision” for Miller’s daughter.
Poindexter has launched multiple ads in recent weeks highlighting the alleged abuse, including one spot that featured audio of Moreno’s comments to reporters in August accusing Miller of withholding his granddaughter’s favorite toy.
“Both of Ohio’s Republicans senators have said Miller is unfit to serve, and no amount of him playing the victim will change the facts,” Riya Vashi, spokesperson for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement.
Shannon Burns, chairman of the Strongsville GOP, the largest Republican organization in the district, said in an interview Friday that he believes Miller has maintained support from voters and dismissed the allegations as “outlandish.”
“If any of them were true, not only would you lose custody, but you probably have actual criminal issues,” Burns said.
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