Republican Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno publicly urged Representative Max Miller to resign from Congress amid serious allegations of domestic and child abuse involving Moreno's daughter and Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno. Moreno said, "If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives" [1].
Emily Moreno accused Miller of holding a gun to her head, pouring hot water on her, and breaking their two-year-old daughter’s collarbone. Miller denies all abuse claims, stating, "No court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. No criminal charge has ever been filed against me" [1, 2]. He also attributes allegations of illegal drug use to his legally prescribed testosterone replacement therapy, saying, "This whole needles thing? This is testosterone replacement therapy" [3].
The dispute also includes a contentious custody battle over their young daughter ongoing since 2024, following the couple's divorce that year [1, 4]. Senator Moreno accused Miller of withholding the granddaughter’s stuffed “little blue bunny” during a custody exchange. Miller rejected the claim, saying the bunny was returned within 14 hours and asking others to "please stop the lies" [5, 6].
Multiple Republican senators have publicly supported Moreno's resignation call. Senator Roger Marshall said, "[Miller] should resign. He should quit. I trust Bernie so much as a good friend, and his family has such high values." Senator Rick Scott added, "I don't know enough about the allegations, but like Bernie said, it sounds like he thinks he needs psychological help. I trust Bernie" [7, 8].
Miller remains defiant and is running for reelection in Ohio's 7th congressional district despite mounting pressure from GOP leaders and increased Democratic targeting of the traditionally safe Republican seat. "I'm not dropping out of this race, and I'll win in November," Miller said in a recent livestream where he denied the abuse allegations [1, 2].
The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into Miller after his own request to review accusations including illegal drug use and domestic abuse [9, 10]. Meanwhile, Miller has filed defamation lawsuits against his ex-wife Emily Moreno and former girlfriend Stephanie Grisham; the case against Grisham was settled in 2023 [1, 2].
Polls prior to the allegations showed Miller holding a 5-point Republican lead in the district, but the race has narrowed amid a national 6.4-point Democratic advantage in the 2026 midterms [4, 11].
On August 6, Miller publicly disputed Moreno’s claim about withholding the granddaughter’s stuffed bunny, stating the item was promptly returned, a tangible point of contention in their ongoing custody dispute [5, 6].
