The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting embattled Rep. Max Miller‘s (R-OH) seat to flip in November, adding Democratic candidate Brian Poindexter to its “Red to Blue” list.
Miller passed the deadline to drop out on Monday despite a chorus of Republicans begging him to do so over accusations of abuse against his ex-wife and daughter, setting the race up to be an increasingly difficult one for the incumbent.
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Poindexter, a union leader, was touted as a prime candidate in a press release from the DCCC, which is now investing much more as its candidate leaps ahead in the polls.
“Brian Poindexter is exactly the kind of leader Ohio families deserve in Congress — a union ironworker who has spent his life working alongside the people he’s running to represent. Max Miller has never lived that reality. He bought his way into power, sides with corporate interests over working people, and is now facing credible allegations of domestic violence that cannot be ignored,” DCCC Chairwoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) said in a statement.
The press release pointed to the growing factors on its side, most notably damning recent polls and the three big nonpartisan election trackers shifting the race in the Democrats’ favor.
Notably, the domestic violence allegations only featured peripherally in its logic, with most of the release dedicated to boasting of Poindexter’s working-class and populist credentials.
“Brian is running for Congress because working people deserve a real seat at the table, not a wealthy D.C. insider like Max Miller who bought his seat, lives an out-of-touch lifestyle, and is now facing serious, credible allegations of domestic violence,” the press release said.
“In 2024, Max Miller won OH-07 with just 51% of the vote, a nearly 5-point collapse from his first election in 2022. While Max Miller sides with the wealthy and well-connected, Brian will fight for the workers who power Ohio’s economy,” it added.
COOK POLITICAL REPORT SHIFTS EMBATTLED MAX MILLER’S OHIO SEAT TO ‘TOSS UP’
Miller is under intense pressure from within his own party to drop out of the race after his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), accused him of physically abusing her and their daughter and of illegal drug use. Both Ohio senators have called on Miller to drop out, and he’s also under a House Ethics Committee investigation.
As scrutiny has mounted, the Cook Political Report shifted the race from “likely Republican” to “toss up.” Polling is painting an even worse picture, with a recent co/efficient poll giving Poindexter a 14-point lead over Miller, jumping from a 4-point lead the week before.
