Max Miller remains Ohio GOP nominee after replacement window closes

Rep. Max Miller will remain the Republican candidate in the Max Miller Ohio House race after he did not withdraw by the practical deadline needed for party officials to name a replacement before November. Ohio Republicans faced a Monday 4 p.m. deadline to certify another nominee, but the required notice period for the selection meeting made Saturday the effective cutoff, CNBC and Axios reported.

Miller’s spokeswoman, Abigail Angelos, told The New York Times on Saturday that the two-term congressman would stay in the race, according to Axios. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections listed Miller as an active candidate early Sunday, Axios said.

What happens if Max Miller withdraws after the GOP replacement deadline?

Miller could still withdraw and have his name removed from the ballot. But Republicans would have no nominee for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District because the party would no longer have time to complete the process for selecting and certifying a replacement, CNBC reported.

The timetable turned on Ohio’s notice requirement. County-level Republican officials who would select a nominee need at least two days’ notice before meeting. That meant a withdrawal after Saturday could not give the party sufficient time to convene the committee and certify a candidate by the Monday deadline, according to CNBC and Axios.

The missed window follows calls from Republican figures for Miller to step aside. His ex-wife, Emily Moreno, has alleged that he abused her and their young daughter. Miller denies the allegations, CNBC reported.

The House Ethics Committee said last week that it was examining whether Miller may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use. The committee’s statement did not make findings. Axios reported that Miller had requested an investigation into himself, while the committee did not say that request prompted its inquiry.

The general-election contest is scheduled to pit Miller against Democrat Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker, Axios reported. The race has drawn wider attention as Republicans seek to retain a narrow House majority.

Ohio’s 7th District has generally favored Republicans in recent presidential elections. Axios reported that President Donald Trump carried it by roughly 11 percentage points in 2024, 10 points in 2020 and 12 points in 2016. Those past margins do not determine the outcome of the November congressional contest, but they frame the electoral stakes as the party proceeds without a practical route to substitute another nominee.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.