“They basically told us to back off,” said one Ohio Republican reportedly involved in the conversations
Credit: Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty; Samuel Corum/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- The White House helped squash public calls for GOP Rep. Max Miller to abandon his reelection bid in Ohio amid domestic and child abuse allegations, according to a new report
- “They basically told us to back off and let the voters decide,” one Ohio Republican involved in the conversations said, per Politico
- Miller, the former son-in-law of Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, ultimately declined to drop out of the race before the state’s deadline to replace him on the ballot, turning his solidly Republican seat into a battleground this year
The White House reportedly helped shut down efforts to push GOP Rep. Max Miller out of Ohio’s 7th Congressional District race, after President Donald Trump‘s political operation concluded that the embattled Republican was unlikely to voluntarily withdraw.
According to Politico, Trump’s team reached out to Ohio Republicans last week and urged them to stop publicly pressuring Miller to abandon his reelection campaign, per three people with direct knowledge of the private discussions.
“They basically told us to back off and let the voters decide,” said one Ohio Republican involved in the conversations.
Miller — who is facing accusations of domestic and child abuse from his ex-wife, which he denies — ultimately declined to drop out of the race before the state deadline, a bold decision that may now cost Republicans a solidly conservative seat that they cannot afford to lose this year.
Some Republicans and administration officials had publicly urged Miller to leave the race, hoping to avoid a potentially damaging fight for the party in November. The situation grew particularly messy because his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, is the daughter of Ohio’s senior U.S. senator, Bernie Moreno, another Trump ally.
Bernie, 59, had publicly slammed Miller, 37, before the White House’s apparent outreach to Ohio Republicans, calling the congressman a “danger” to his family and urging him to leave Congress and “seek professional help.”
Trump, meanwhile, told reporters, “I hope [Miller’s] able to work it out. I feel badly for him.”
Ohio Republicans faced a narrow window to replace Miller on the November ballot. State law set 4 p.m. local time on Monday, Aug. 10, as the deadline for political parties to fill any vacancies, meaning Miller would have needed to withdraw days earlier to give party officials enough time to select a replacement nominee.
Still, Miller rejected the calls to step aside and let the deadline to withdraw pass — even as polling showed his Democratic challenger launch into the lead amid the scandal.
Miller could still withdraw from the race, but doing so would create a different problem for Ohio Republicans. State law allows a candidate’s name to be removed from the ballot up until 70 days before the November election, putting that deadline on Aug. 25.
If he were to withdraw after the deadline, though, Republicans would reportedly not be allowed to replace him on the ballot.
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The controversy surrounding Miller’s candidacy comes as he continues to go through a custody dispute and legal battle with his ex-wife, Emily.
“It has been horrific to watch this play out in full public view, all while knowing an innocent two-year-old girl is caught in the middle,” his former father-in-law, Bernie, said. “Our priority has always been protecting our daughter and our granddaughter.”
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