Sen. Jon Husted joined Sen. Bernie Moreno, Miller’s former father-in-law, in calling for the embattled congressman to step aside.
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Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) is calling on Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) to resign his seat and end his reelection campaign, amid accusations by Miller’s ex-wife that he was abusive to her and their 2-year-old daughter.
Husted had been largely silent this week about whether a fellow member of the Ohio delegation should face any professional repercussions after Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) called Miller, his former son-in-law, a “danger” who should not serve in Congress.
Miller has denied allegations of domestic abuse and insisted he will not end his campaign. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this report.
“Given everything they are facing, I do not see how a campaign for Congress benefits any of them,” Husted said, referring to Miller, Miller’s ex-wife and their daughter, in a lengthy statement Thursday that broke his silence on the matter.
“I believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter,” Husted added. “Years from now, I believe he will look back and know it was the right choice for her.”
Shortly before Husted’s statement, Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) also called on Miller to “step aside.”
“What kind of person would treat their daughter this way?” Sheehy wrote Thursday on X, in response to screenshots Miller posted Wednesday night defending himself in a dispute over his daughter’s favorite stuffed blue bunny, which was forgotten during a custody exchange.
Moreno accused Miller of withholding the child’s comfort toy over the weekend.
“Max should step aside and seek help,” Sheehy added, without specifying whether he meant Miller should resign his seat. “Staying in this race makes it far more likely we lose this seat and hand Democrats a majority to impeach President Trump.”
So far, Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Katie Boyd Britt (R-Alabama) have outright called on Miller to resign. About half a dozen other Republican senators have said they support Moreno’s position that Miller should not be in Congress.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) has called the situation “sad and unfortunate” but has not called on Miller to resign or end his reelection campaign, saying it was a “House matter.”
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has not urged Miller to withdraw from the race or resign his seat, calling the allegations “serious” but saying a congressional investigation should be allowed to play out.
Nor have most of the other 10 Republicans in the Ohio congressional delegation, who did not respond to questions from The Washington Post or declined to comment.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that “it’s up to the voters.”
President Donald Trump has also said he would “let the families figure that out.” He told reporters Monday that it was “a very sad thing” but that Miller, who served as a White House aide during Trump’s first term, is “a very good person.”
The House Ethics Committee said Tuesday that it is investigating allegations that Miller engaged in domestic violence and illegal drug use.
Miller and Emily Moreno married in August 2022, had their daughter in November 2023 and divorced in June 2025.
In court filings, Emily Moreno said that on the day she planned to leave Miller, he threw hot water on her from a pan of eggs he had just cooked. She said that caused her to fall to the floor and that Miller afterward sprayed her with the sink hose.
In a lengthy live-streamed video posted Sunday, Miller dismissed that incident as “horseplay.”
Emily Moreno has also accused Miller of harming their 2-year-old daughter, who in February suffered a fractured collarbone and had “a bruise that accompanies the injury that appears to be in a handprint and appears to have been inflicted,” according to a police report. The report said Moreno told police that the congressman once held a gun to her head and was physically abusive to her in front of their daughter.
Miller has claimed his ex-wife fabricated the allegations because she is mentally ill, which Moreno’s attorneys have previously denied. Miller has also accused her of domestic violence, but a judge formally dismissed Miller’s case against Moreno last week.
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Alexei Koseff and Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report.
