<p>Ohio GOP Rep. <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/19/max-miller-palestinian-flag-republican-ohio" target="_blank">Max Miller</a> said Sunday he will stay in his reelection race, using a livestream on X to deny allegations he abused his ex-wife and their young daughter.</p><ul><li>Shortly after his announcement, his ex-father-in-law, Sen. <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/29/trump-political-swearing-voter-perceptions" target="_blank">Bernie Moreno</a> (R-Ohio), denounced him as a "danger" to his daughter and unfit for office.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>The extraordinary public split between two Trump-aligned Ohio Republicans comes days before the state's deadline to replace Miller on the ballot with a special election — and will only fuel the controversy attached to a seat Democrats are targeting.</p><hr><p><strong>What he's saying: </strong>"I'm not getting out of this race, and I'm winning in November," Miller said near the end of his <a href="https://x.com/MaxMillerOH/status/2083923492676706663" target="_blank">livestream</a>.</p><ul><li>Miller said no court or government agency has substantiated an abuse allegation against him and that he has never faced criminal charges.</li><li>He said a child-welfare agency deemed two reports that he'd abused his daughter as unsubstantiated. </li><li>He also denied assaulting his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who had said Miller threw hot water from a skillet and sprayed her with a sink hose during a 2024 argument. He denied the water was scalding, said he did not intend to hurt her and called the incident "horseplay."</li><li>He also <a href="https://x.com/MaxMillerOH/status/2083921641503867284" target="_blank">posted</a> a link to what he said were records he referenced, but quickly removed those records. </li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>Sen. Moreno issued a blistering denunciation shortly after the livestream, saying Miller's behavior had forced him to speak publicly after trying to protect his family's privacy.</p><ul><li>"He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter," Moreno <a href="https://x.com/berniemoreno/status/2083936589424582942" target="_blank">wrote on X</a>.</li><li>"If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them," he added. "He should not serve in the House of Representatives."</li></ul><p><strong>Catch up quick:</strong> Emily Moreno, who divorced Miller last year, has accused him in court filings of hitting and threatening her during their marriage. Miller has sued her for defamation.</p><ul><li>She claimed their daughter collarbone broke and her shoulders were bruised while she was in Miller's custody. Miller denied causing the injury and argued that the bruising resembled marks from a seat belt, according to <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/assault-misogyny-verbal-threats-records-detail-new-allegations-against-rep-max-miller-bernie-moreno/" target="_blank">Mother Jones</a>.</li><li>Miller previously faced abuse allegations from ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham, a former Trump White House press secretary. He also denied those claims and sued her for defamation before dropping the case as part of a 2023 settlement.</li><li>Grisham <a href="https://x.com/MarkSZaidEsq/status/2074628552947835365" target="_blank">sued</a> Miller last month, arguing his recent public statements had violated the settlement's non-disparagement and confidentiality terms. </li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Miller faces Democrat Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, in Ohio's 7th congressional district, which is based outside of Cleveland.</p><ul><li>Voters in the district backed President Trump by 11 percentage points in 2024, 10 points in 2020 and 12 points in 2016.</li></ul><p><strong>What to watch:</strong> Wednesday is <a href="https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3513.312#:~:text=prior%20to%20the-,ninetieth%20day%20before%20the%20day%20of%20such%20general%20election,-%2C%20or%20dies%20prior" target="_blank">Ohio's deadline</a> to trigger a special election to replace Miller on the ballot.</p><p><em>This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</em></p>