Ohio Senator Jon Husted Calls on Rep. Max Miller to Resign Amid Domestic Violence Allegations
Key Takeaways
- •Ohio Senator Jon Husted became the second Republican senator from the state to publicly urge Representative Max Miller to resign and end his congressional campaign.
- •The domestic violence allegations stem from divorce and police records, with Miller's ex-wife Emily Moreno accusing him of physical abuse including threatening her with a gun.
- •Miller has categorically denied all accusations and has not faced criminal charges, after a county prosecutor declined to pursue the case due to insufficient evidence.
- •Miller voluntarily requested a House Ethics Committee review of the allegations but has refused to withdraw from his reelection race.
- •The approaching ballot deadline is narrowing the window for Ohio Republicans to field a replacement candidate should Miller ultimately step aside.
Ohio Senator Jon Husted called on embattled Representative Max Miller, a former Trump White House aide who represents Ohio's 7th Congressional District, to abandon his congressional campaign and resign from office, becoming the second Ohio Republican senator to urge the congressman's exit amid escalating domestic violence allegations.
Husted, who had spent the past week deflecting reporters' questions and reportedly staring off when pressed on the matter, issued his statement Thursday on X post.
"Anyone who commits domestic violence is not fit to serve in Congress," Husted wrote. He added that Miller would be making the right decision by stepping aside as a candidate and resigning to focus on the best interest of his daughter.
Husted, appointed last year to fill the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance, had highlighted Miller's endorsement of his own campaign as recently as February. He now joins Senator Bernie Moreno — the father of Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno — in pushing Miller toward the exits. Both of Ohio's Republican senators have now called for a sitting House member of their own party to step aside.
The allegations, drawn from divorce and police records, include Emily Moreno's claims that Miller threw her against a wall, held a gun to her head, and threw hot water at her. Later court filings reportedly raised concerns regarding the couple's 2-year-old daughter.
Miller has categorically denied all accusations. "I categorically deny abusing my former wife," he said in a video statement, insisting that no court or agency has substantiated the claims against him. He has not been criminally charged, and a county prosecutor declined to pursue the case, citing insufficient evidence.
Miller himself requested a House Ethics Committee review of the allegations, a process that allows the bipartisan panel to investigate misconduct by sitting members and recommend sanctions up to and including expulsion. He has refused to withdraw from the race, even as President Donald Trump privately signaled that the race looks increasingly difficult for the incumbent. The ballot deadline has continued to close in, narrowing the window for Ohio Republicans to field a replacement candidate should Miller step aside.
Beyond Representative Jim Jordan, who publicly called Miller "a good man," most Ohio Republicans have remained silent on the matter.
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