Ohio Democrat Brian Poindexter has defeated Republican Rep.Max Miller, NBC News projects, months after the congressman’s ex-wife accused him of domestic abuse — allegations he denied but became the centerpiece of the campaign.Poindexter, an ironworker and city councilmember in the working-class Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, flipped a district that President Donald Trump would have won by 11 points in 2024.
Poindexter and his allies amplified the abuse allegations as Democrats poured millions into a race they weren’t expecting to compete in just months before.Miller, 37, spent Trump’s first term as a White House aide and campaign hand.
He originally sought to challenge then-Rep.Anthony Gonzalez in a 2022 GOP primary with Trump’s blessing, after Gonzalez backed Trump’s impeachment one year prior.
Gonzalez ended up retiring instead of running for re-election, and Miller won a different seat after redistricting jumbled the state’s congressional map.Democrat Brian Poindexter.Lisa Scalfaro / USA Today via ReutersDuring that campaign, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham accused Miller of physical abuse while they were dating, allegations Miller denied.In Congress, Miller remained a steadfast ally of Trump, but he did break from the president on some issues like his tariffs, and he was also steadfast in his support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Miller made headlines for taking on progressive Democrats over their support for Palestinians amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, and he backed the expulsion of former Republican Rep.George Santos from Congress, accusing Santos of stealing money from him and his mother.
Miller had been expected to win re-election easily until the circumstances surrounding his divorce became public.His ex-wife, Emily Moreno, has accused him of holding a gun to her head, throwing hot water on her, and throwing her against a wall, allegations that have been aired both in courtrooms as well as in pub...