Republican leaders are growing increasingly concerned that allegations involving two GOP House lawmakers could affect the midterm elections, Punchbowl News reported Wednesday.

The lawmakers are Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) and Max Miller (R-OH), both of whom have faced serious allegations in recent days.

On Monday, the House Ethics Committee found that Edwards had engaged in persistent and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers. Edwards later dropped his re-election bid on Wednesday.

Miller has been accused of physically abusing his ex-wife and 2-year-old daughter, allegations he denied when he released a large trove of documents intended to support his version of events. Those documents may have included a picture of his daughter's body.

As the allegations against Miller quickly became “a national spectacle,” GOP leadership grew more worried about the possible impact on the midterms, according to Punchbowl News.

“The Miller and Edwards cases are very different. But top Republicans worry they could cost the party a key pair of seats in November,” Punchbowl News reported. “Republicans have been working through how to replace Edwards on the ballot. Democrat Jamie Ager is running a well-funded campaign.”

Punchbowl News also described the House Ethics Committee as a “key player” in the midterms. With narrow House margins making every seat politically sensitive, its work has allowed GOP leaders to avoid directly calling on their own members to resign, even amid serious allegations.

“The committee’s aggressive posture fits another trend in House Republican politics this Congress: don’t call on members to resign, especially with margins this thin,” the report said. “Instead, Speaker Mike Johnson deferred to the Ethics Committee – as he is doing in this case. Remember that Johnson appoints the Republican members of the panel, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appointing the Democrats.”