Max Miller: Potential Candidates Who Could Replace Republican in Ohio Race

Several Republican figures are being discussed as possible replacements for Representative Max Miller in Ohio's 7th Congressional District, as the embattled congressman faces pressure over abuse allegations that he denies. Miller, a two-term congressman and former White House aide under President Donald Trump, has been involved in an acrimonious legal dispute with his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. He has denied allegations that he abused her or their young daughter. He has not been charged with a crime in connection to the allegations. A number of Republican lawmakers have publicly backed Moreno or expressed concern after the comments, which came days before a Wednesday ballot deadline in Ohio. Miller has until Wednesday to withdraw from the ballot, which would allow Republicans to hold a rapid replacement primary for his Cleveland-area House seat. Responding to reports multiple GOP senators had backed calls for Miller to step down, Miller wrote: "Every accusation that has been thrown my way has been found unsubstantiated by the court system as well as mine and my ex-wife's court appointed mediator (who is a psychologist and mandatory reporter)." Several Republican names have been floated as possible replacements if Miller were to step aside. Republican sources reportedly said the party was considering a number of possible candidates, including State Representative Mike Dovilla of Berea, a U.S. Navy veteran and former presidential appointee to the Office of Personnel Management; former U.S. Representative Jim Renacci of Wadsworth, who previously represented parts of Northeast Ohio in Congress; State Representative Melanie Miller of Ashland; and former State Senator Kevin Coughlin of Bath Township. Renacci told Axios that he may consider running for the seat if Miller drops his reelection bid. In a phone interview Monday night, Renacci pointed to his remaining political network and profile in the area, telling the outlet: "I still know a lot of people, I still have good name recognition." "I'm getting calls from everybody," Renacci said. "Many people have asked me to consider, if he did step out, if I would be interested, only because it's my old seat." However, Renacci added: "I truly don't believe Max is leaving, I think Max is going to stay in the race." Trump has also commented on the situation. The president told reporters "I know Max, he's a good person...and I'm going to let the families figure that out." Trump said it was "a very sad thing, especially when you know somebody so well, to be going through that. But it's accusations, and I'm going to let them figure that out." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump warned Miller in a Monday phone call that his reelection bid would be difficult, and repeatedly told him the contest would be "tough" and "a really hard one." According to people familiar with the matter cited by the Journal, Miller asked Trump to make a public statement supporting him, though Miller said Trump was "supportive of me over the phone." Miller appeared in a social media livestream on Sunday firmly denying the allegations of abuse made by his ex-wife and vowed to remain in his reelection campaign, pushing back against mounting scrutiny. "I've been portrayed as an abusive husband, an abusive father, and a violent man. Those allegations have damaged my reputation, caused enormous pain to my family, and most importantly, it's affected our daughter," the congressman said. Miller added that "no court" and "no agency" had substantiated any claim of abuse against him, and said that no criminal charges had been filed. He also posted a collection of documents "produced by my personal attorneys and paid for by me directly" regarding the abuse allegations and related litigation, inviting the public to review them. In a statement provided to Newsweek Sunday by her attorney, Emily Moreno's spokesperson Stefan Mychajliw said: "It is shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career. There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that. It is despicable and abhorrent that Miller lied on an unhinged and humiliating video for their daughter to watch one day."