Max Miller Says He'll Lend His Campaign $1 Million as Polling Shows Him Down 14 Points

Ohio's Republican-held 7th Congressional District deadline to swap out Rep. Max Miller came and went Monday, August 3. Miller didn't budge then, and he hasn't budged since, even as the numbers behind his reelection bid have gotten worse.

Miller told the Wall Street Journal he plans to lend his own campaign $1 million, in two $500,000 installments, saying he's "invested in this election in every way." The move gives him a financial edge over Democratic rival Brian Poindexter, a Brook Park city councilman and union ironworker who has raised $603,000 to Miller's roughly $2.1 million, according to federal filings cited by the Associated Press.

The money alone isn't fixing his poll numbers. A co/efficient survey conducted this week found Miller now trailing Poindexter by 14 points, a sharp drop from a 5-point deficit in late July. The same poll found awareness of the domestic abuse allegations against Miller jumped from 53% to 86% among district voters in just the past week. Among Republican voters specifically, 38% now view Miller unfavorably versus 30% favorable.

The Allegations, Briefly

Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno, daughter of GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, has alleged in court filings that Miller threw hot water at her and held a gun to her head, including in a February incident involving their child. These are allegations made in divorce and custody filings, not criminal charges. No indictment has been filed and no criminal investigation has been announced. The House Ethics Committee opened its own inquiry after Miller himself requested it, and that probe remains open with no findings issued.

Miller has pushed back hard in public. Over the weekend of August 1-2 he livestreamed from his X account and posted a large cache of documents from the divorce and custody proceedings, arguing the record supports his side. He has not been made available for direct comment to the Associated Press, which said messages left for Miller went unreturned.

Trump's Ambivalence

Miller told CNN this week he discussed his reelection chances directly with President Trump, who told him, "I don't know if you're going to be able to, you know, pull this one out." Trump has not publicly demanded Miller withdraw, which matters given Miller served as a senior adviser during Trump's first term.

Still, the pressure from Miller's own party has grown louder. Sen. Bernie Moreno, his former father-in-law, has said Miller "should not serve in the House." Sen. John Husted, also up for reelection in Ohio this cycle, has joined calls for Miller to resign and end his campaign, according to Forbes. Sen. Rick Scott said earlier this month that Miller "shouldn't be in office." None of that has moved Miller.

Miller's Defense and the Fair Read

Miller's position, stated plainly in a Newsmax interview Tuesday, is that "there's no chance that I'm removing myself from this race," even if Trump personally asked him to. He argues he retains strong grassroots support in the district and the fundraising capacity to win. His decision to release the custody and divorce documents publicly is, on its face, an attempt to let voters judge the underlying record for themselves rather than rely on secondhand characterizations of it. The allegations, however serious, remain unadjudicated in any criminal or civil finding, and Miller is contesting them in the venue where the actual evidence lives.

Poindexter, for his part, has mostly avoided making the race solely about Miller's personal conduct. He told Politico his campaign is focused on "working families" rather than "running against Max Miller." But he hasn't been shy about the allegations either, telling Politico, "Obviously the allegations against Max Miller are very credible and very outrageous... If they prove to be true, he should be in jail." In donor pitches, Poindexter has been more pointed, accusing Miller of "moral bankruptcy" and noting that "his own family has said he's not fit to serve."

What Comes Next

With the ballot-replacement deadline passed, Ohio Republicans are stuck with Miller as their nominee barring some legal mechanism for late substitution, which national GOP strategists reportedly view as increasingly unlikely to be exercised. The House Ethics Committee investigation continues with no announced timeline for findings. The co/efficient poll's 14-point swing in two weeks suggests the race is trending in one direction, but it's a single poll and Election Day is still three months out. Whether Miller's $1 million personal loan can buy back ground he's lost with both Republican and swing voters in the district is the open question heading into fall.