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Republicans pour millions into once-safe Ohio House seat in bid to save Max Miller

Northeast Ohio • October 31, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

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What should have been a safe Republican seat in northeast Ohio has become one of the most closely watched House races in the country. With Election Day on Tuesday, national Republicans have poured millions of dollars into Ohio's 7th Congressional District to save Rep. Max Miller, whose reelection bid has been roiled by a bitter divorce and custody fight — with a custody trial scheduled to begin just days after voters cast their ballots.

Miller is campaigning to hold a district that stretches from Cleveland's outer suburbs into rural communities beyond them, a place Donald Trump won by 11 points in the last presidential election. But in a midterm cycle where voters are paying more for gas and groceries, Republicans are finding themselves defending candidates even in red territory — and Miller's personal controversies have turned the seat into a key battleground in the fight for the House majority.

At the center of the race are allegations from Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who has accused him in court filings of abuse, including holding a gun to her when their daughter was an infant. Miller vehemently denies the claims. The high-profile custody case is scheduled to go to trial just days after Election Day, with both sides now filing legal briefs over the scope of the trial as Moreno seeks to amend the couple's shared parenting agreement.

Over the summer, as the allegations gained attention, national Republicans quietly tried to convince Miller to step down so he could be replaced before an August deadline. His ex-father-in-law, Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, said he should not serve in Congress, and fellow Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted also called for him to exit the race. Miller refused. "I have the utmost confidence that my constituents back home know me," he told CNN's Jake Tapper at the time.

The money now flowing into the district tells the story of a party that has decided to fight for the seat rather than abandon it. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the House GOP's leading super PAC, has invested more than $5 million in the race, and Republicans overall have spent more than $9 million in the district. Democrats, sensing an opening to expand their map, have spent $17 million. House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for an ongoing House Ethics process to play out and has not abandoned or disavowed Miller ahead of the election.

Miller's own fundraising has lagged badly. The congressman, who comes from an affluent family, loaned his campaign $1 million last quarter while raising just $145,000 from donors, and Federal Election Commission reports showed earlier this week that he gave his campaign another $250,000 loan. His Democratic opponent is Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker, who says he feels "momentum" on the ground in the race.

Ohio voters will decide Tuesday whether Miller keeps his seat — and whatever they decide, the custody trial waiting just days later means the congressman's personal legal battles are far from over.

Sources: CNN (Oct 31, 2026); The Wall Street Journal (Oct 7, 2026).