Scandal-plagued Rep. Max Miller’s (R-OH) campaign rally was scrapped Friday over threats, leaving him days to decide whether to abandon a reelection bid the party is quietly bracing to lose.
The Strongsville GOP canceled a “Pass the SAVE America Act Rally” featuring Miller and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), which had been set for Monday evening at The Barn at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick. Strongsville GOP Chair Shannon Burns announced the cancellation in a Friday email, citing threats.
“After consultation with law enforcement and the venue, the number and nature of the threats received have made the event untenable,” Burns wrote. “We cannot responsibly expose our guests, attendees, volunteers, venue staff, or law enforcement officers to an unacceptable safety risk.”
The scrapped rally landed as the clock ran down on Miller’s candidacy. Ohio election officials say Miller has until Monday to withdraw and let the party name a replacement on the November ballot. To make that work, he would have to formally withdraw by Saturday, giving the required 48-hour notice for a meeting of the Republican Party chairs from the four counties in his district.
Miller has refused. He posted a cache of divorce and custody documents in a livestream last Sunday and said he would not quit.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Miller told CNN.
He put another $1 million of his own money into the race, loaning his campaign the sum in two installments.
“I am in this for the long haul,” Miller said. “I know there are some people that are concerned about my ability to win this race right now, but I don’t share that.”
The congressman faces domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH). In court filings and police reports, she accused Miller of throwing hot water at her and pointing a gun at her head, and alleged their young daughter’s collarbone was broken in his care. Miller has denied the claims, saying no court or agency has substantiated them.
Both of Ohio’s Republican senators have called for him to go. Bernie Moreno said Miller lacks the character to serve, and Sen. Jon Husted urged him to leave the House and drop his campaign. His Democrat opponent, union ironworker Brian Poindexter, accused Miller of “moral bankruptcy” and led him by 14 points in a recent poll.
The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into whether Miller engaged in domestic violence or illegal drug use. Republicans privately expect him to drop his bid by the end of the week, according to two sources who spoke to Axios.
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