Rep. Max Miller already faces a difficult re-election bid amid allegations of domestic abuse against his daughter and ex-wife and calls from lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats alike — to quit the race.
Adding to the complications: The embattled Republican lawmaker from Ohio is almost $2 million deep in campaign debt, to himself.
Miller has loaned his congressional campaign a total of $1 million through two $500,000 installments made on Aug. 11 and Aug. 21, according to new documents his campaign submitted Thursday to the Federal Election Commission. The loans piled on top of the $1 million Miller loaned his campaign between September 2021 and October 2022.
Miller has begun repayment on only one loan, a $100,000 borrow from April 2022. As of the latest filings, he has paid off $35,000 of that balance, leaving his total remaining debt at $1,965,000. His most recent loan payment totaled $5,000, on July 15.
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Miller’s campaign had $122,835 in cash on hand as of Sept. 30 — a relatively small reserve during the final weeks of his competitive race against Democrat Brian Poindexter in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, which stretches from the Cleveland suburbs to rural central Ohio.
Both Inside Elections and the Cook Political Report rate the race a “toss up.”
Miller also has significantly less money — and more debt — than his campaign had at the same time during his 2022 and 2024 bids, according to FEC records.
Miller’s latest loans to his campaign came as he faced increasing pressure to resign from Congress and drop out of the race in early August. The two-term congressman pledged to stay in the race and told The Wall Street Journal that his loan proved he was “invested in this election in every way.”
Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, divorced in 2024. In court filings, Moreno accused Miller of holding a gun to her head and breaking their daughter’s collarbone, accusations he has denied.
But Moreno’s father, Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, told reporters the relationship had been fraught. Moreno has said his ex-son-in-law “shouldn’t serve in the House.”
The Miller campaign’s new filing also indicates some members of the House hesitated to offer him financial support in his reelection bid.
In 2024, Miller’s camp reported contributions from the campaigns of high-profile Republicans such as Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Kentucky) and Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio). This cycle, Miller’s campaign reported just one contribution from a sitting member — $2,000 from the campaign committee of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Jordan has defended Miller against the allegations, calling him a “good man.”
President Donald Trump has continued to support Miller’s re-election bid. On Wednesday night, Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. dropped $37,329 in digital advertising to boost Miller’s campaign.
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