Max Miller loses Ohio congressional race to Brian Poindexter

House ethics committee investigates Miller’s domestic violence and drug-use allegations

Democrat Brian Poindexter defeated Republican Max Miller in Ohio’s 2026 congressional race and will head to Congress next year. The Guardian described Poindexter as an ironworker who has worked as an apprentice instructor at Ironworkers Local 17 and as a union organizer. His father was a machinist, and his grandfather was a unionized auto worker.

Miller married Moreno at Donald Trump’s club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2022, and their toddler daughter was born in 2023. Moreno, the daughter of Republican U.S. senator Bernie Moreno, alleged that Miller held a gun to her head and scalded her with boiling water. She also alleged that their toddler daughter suffered a broken collarbone due to Miller’s actions. Miller and Moreno finalized their divorce in 2025.

The Guardian reported that New York Magazine wrote “this is untrue” and said neither Miller nor anyone else were found at fault in the investigation of his daughter’s broken collarbone. The domestic assault allegations have not been formally investigated.

Miller denies allegations of abuse and has filed a defamation case against Moreno over the claims. In an August 2026 interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Miller accused three women, including his ex-wife, of lying about assault allegations against him.

In a campaign ad released in mid-October, Miller said: “Divorce is a painful reality for far too many families, and for two years, my family’s heartbreak has made national news because that is the nature of politics.” He also said the allegations were “proven false time and again.”

Donald Trump backed Miller in the closing days of the campaign, writing on Truth Social: “Max Miller has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR MAX — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Ahead of the deadline for Miller to drop out of the race in early August 2026, he faced calls to resign, including from Bernie Moreno. “If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Moreno posted. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”

The House ethics committee is investigating Miller for domestic violence and drug use allegations. Poindexter’s victory did not resolve the allegations or the ethics inquiry: Miller denied the abuse claims, Moreno had made them, and the domestic assault allegations had not been formally investigated. The Guardian did not report a finding from the House ethics committee.

A photograph published with The Guardian’s report shows Max Miller in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. Photograph by Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images.