Republican Rep. Max Miller Loses Ohio Reelection Bid to Democrat Brian Poindexter

Republican Rep. Max Miller lost his bid for a third term in Ohio's 7th Congressional District to Democrat Brian Poindexter, according to projections by CBS News and NBC News after Tuesday's election. Miller conceded on X, saying he was disappointed with the results and thanking supporters. With about 80 percent of votes counted, Poindexter led by 8 points. The northeastern Ohio district backed President Donald Trump in 2024, and Miller won his second term by almost 15 points. His campaign was dogged by accusations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, including claims about the treatment of their two-year-old daughter, who suffered a broken collarbone in February. Miller denied the allegations. The House Ethics Committee said in August it was reviewing the claims and has released no findings. Miller's custody trial is scheduled to begin Thursday.

Left-leaning outlets CBS News and Mother Jones lead with the allegations and the political fallout. CBS stresses that Miller defied calls to drop out before the replacement deadline, that Cook Political Report moved the race to toss-up, and that Sen. Moreno and others pressed him to resign, quoting Moreno's criticism and Speaker Mike Johnson's call for due process. Mother Jones highlights its own July reporting from over 2,000 pages of court and police records, listing claims of a gun held to Emily Moreno's head, boiling water and drug use. The New York Post, on the right, frames the loss as the result of a "nasty custody battle," calls Poindexter Bernie Sanders-backed, and gives district margins. It includes the child-services finding of no evidence Miller harmed his daughter and Miller's denials, details the left-leaning pieces excerpted here do not feature. All three cite Miller's concession and the allegations. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left- and right-leaning outlets had.