Husted, GOP Ohio senator facing reelection, calls on Miller to resign over abuse allegations
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Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) broke his silence on the abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) Wednesday and called for his fellow Ohio Republican to drop his reelection bid and resign from Congress for the sake of his daughter’s wellbeing.
Husted had largely declined to comment on the serious abuse charges leveled against Miller by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno’s (R) daughter.
But on Wednesday he said Miller needs to “step aside as a candidate.”
“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 said in a statement posted on X, the social media platform.
Miller has vigorously denied the allegations that he scalded his ex-wife by throwing hot water on her, that he held a gun to her head or that he physically abused his daughter, breaking her collar bone. Miller and Emily Moreno divorced in 2025, and the two have been locked in a bitter custody battle over their daughter.
He is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of domestic abuse and illegal drug use but has vowed to remain in the race despite mounting scrutiny.
But Husted on Wednesday said that it would be in their daughter’s best interests if Miller steps out of the public spotlight to allow the family to grapple with the serious allegations.
“I know both Max Miller and Emily Moreno, as well as their families. I am deeply saddened that their personal lives have become such a public matter, especially as it relates to their daughter,” Husted said in his statement.
Husted wrote that “One thing they both seem to agree on” is that their daughter’s “best interests should come first.”
“Those interests will not be served by litigating these matters in public, but by addressing them privately,” he said.
Husted said Miller would “look back” on a decision to drop his re-election bid as “the right choice” for his daughter.
Miller faced a Monday deadline for dropping his re-election bid to allow local Republican leaders to pick someone to replace Miller on the ballot if he abandons his campaign.
Husted faces his own competitive re-election race. A recent Fox News poll showed him trailing the Democratic candidate, former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) has also for Miller to resign and said Tuesday that his daughter lives “in constant fear of this man. Not like something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of.”
He added that when his granddaughter was staying with him, she would cry at night because she did not have her little blue bunny with her and that Miller had refused to hand it over, a charge Miller rejected. Mother Jones reported Thursday that Miller has repeatedly withheld his daughter’s blue bunny, and the back-and-forth over the stuffed animal has become a central focus of the ongoing saga.
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) wrote on the social platform X in response to the blue bunny controversy: “What kind of person would treat their daughter this way? This guy is clearly a degenerate sociopath.”
“Max should step aside and seek help. Staying in this race makes it far more likely we lose this seat and hand Democrats a majority to impeach President Trump,” Sheehy wrote.
Miller told CNN on Tuesday that he is “never going to give up” in his reelection battle.
“At the end of the day, you know, I let the truth speak for itself, and the truth is right there. And I will never, ever, ever let my baby girl see her dad walk away as a quitter. I will continue to finish this, and if I have to run all the way to the end and I’m not successful, Jake, then that’s a decision that I decide to make, and I can hold my head way up high, knowing that I fought for the truth,” Miller said.
Updated at 2:28 p.m.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) broke his silence on the abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) Wednesday and called for his fellow Ohio Republican to drop his reelection bid…
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Skip to content
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) broke his silence on the abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) Wednesday and called for his fellow Ohio Republican to drop his reelection bid and resign from Congress for the sake of his daughter’s wellbeing.
Husted had largely declined to comment on the serious abuse charges leveled against Miller by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno’s (R) daughter.
But on Wednesday he said Miller needs to “step aside as a candidate.”
“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 said in a statement posted on X, the social media platform.
Miller has vigorously denied the allegations that he scalded his ex-wife by throwing hot water on her, that he held a gun to her head or that he physically abused his daughter, breaking her collar bone. Miller and Emily Moreno divorced in 2025, and the two have been locked in a bitter custody battle over their daughter.
He is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of domestic abuse and illegal drug use but has vowed to remain in the race despite mounting scrutiny.
But Husted on Wednesday said that it would be in their daughter’s best interests if Miller steps out of the public spotlight to allow the family to grapple with the serious allegations.
“I know both Max Miller and Emily Moreno, as well as their families. I am deeply saddened that their personal lives have become such a public matter, especially as it relates to their daughter,” Husted said in his statement.
Husted wrote that “One thing they both seem to agree on” is that their daughter’s “best interests should come first.”
“Those interests will not be served by litigating these matters in public, but by addressing them privately,” he said.
Husted said Miller would “look back” on a decision to drop his re-election bid as “the right choice” for his daughter.
Miller faced a Monday deadline for dropping his re-election bid to allow local Republican leaders to pick someone to replace Miller on the ballot if he abandons his campaign.
Husted faces his own competitive re-election race. A recent Fox News poll showed him trailing the Democratic candidate, former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) has also for Miller to resign and said Tuesday that his daughter lives “in constant fear of this man. Not like something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of.”
He added that when his granddaughter was staying with him, she would cry at night because she did not have her little blue bunny with her and that Miller had refused to hand it over, a charge Miller rejected. Mother Jones reported Thursday that Miller has repeatedly withheld his daughter’s blue bunny, and the back-and-forth over the stuffed animal has become a central focus of the ongoing saga.
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) wrote on the social platform X in response to the blue bunny controversy: “What kind of person would treat their daughter this way? This guy is clearly a degenerate sociopath.”
“Max should step aside and seek help. Staying in this race makes it far more likely we lose this seat and hand Democrats a majority to impeach President Trump,” Sheehy wrote.
Miller told CNN on Tuesday that he is “never going to give up” in his reelection battle.
“At the end of the day, you know, I let the truth speak for itself, and the truth is right there. And I will never, ever, ever let my baby girl see her dad walk away as a quitter. I will continue to finish this, and if I have to run all the way to the end and I’m not successful, Jake, then that’s a decision that I decide to make, and I can hold my head way up high, knowing that I fought for the truth,” Miller said.
Updated at 2:28 p.m.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
Skip to content
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) broke his silence on the abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) Wednesday and called for his fellow Ohio Republican to drop his reelection bid and resign from Congress for the sake of his daughter’s wellbeing.
Husted had largely declined to comment on the serious abuse charges leveled against Miller by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno’s (R) daughter.
But on Wednesday he said Miller needs to “step aside as a candidate.”
“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 said in a statement posted on X, the social media platform.
Miller has vigorously denied the allegations that he scalded his ex-wife by throwing hot water on her, that he held a gun to her head or that he physically abused his daughter, breaking her collar bone. Miller and Emily Moreno divorced in 2025, and the two have been locked in a bitter custody battle over their daughter.
He is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of domestic abuse and illegal drug use but has vowed to remain in the race despite mounting scrutiny.
But Husted on Wednesday said that it would be in their daughter’s best interests if Miller steps out of the public spotlight to allow the family to grapple with the serious allegations.
“I know both Max Miller and Emily Moreno, as well as their families. I am deeply saddened that their personal lives have become such a public matter, especially as it relates to their daughter,” Husted said in his statement.
Husted wrote that “One thing they both seem to agree on” is that their daughter’s “best interests should come first.”
“Those interests will not be served by litigating these matters in public, but by addressing them privately,” he said.
Husted said Miller would “look back” on a decision to drop his re-election bid as “the right choice” for his daughter.
Miller faced a Monday deadline for dropping his re-election bid to allow local Republican leaders to pick someone to replace Miller on the ballot if he abandons his campaign.
Husted faces his own competitive re-election race. A recent Fox News poll showed him trailing the Democratic candidate, former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) has also for Miller to resign and said Tuesday that his daughter lives “in constant fear of this man. Not like something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of.”
He added that when his granddaughter was staying with him, she would cry at night because she did not have her little blue bunny with her and that Miller had refused to hand it over, a charge Miller rejected. Mother Jones reported Thursday that Miller has repeatedly withheld his daughter’s blue bunny, and the back-and-forth over the stuffed animal has become a central focus of the ongoing saga.
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) wrote on the social platform X in response to the blue bunny controversy: “What kind of person would treat their daughter this way? This guy is clearly a degenerate sociopath.”
“Max should step aside and seek help. Staying in this race makes it far more likely we lose this seat and hand Democrats a majority to impeach President Trump,” Sheehy wrote.
Miller told CNN on Tuesday that he is “never going to give up” in his reelection battle.
“At the end of the day, you know, I let the truth speak for itself, and the truth is right there. And I will never, ever, ever let my baby girl see her dad walk away as a quitter. I will continue to finish this, and if I have to run all the way to the end and I’m not successful, Jake, then that’s a decision that I decide to make, and I can hold my head way up high, knowing that I fought for the truth,” Miller said.
Updated at 2:28 p.m.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- Jon Husted (R-Ohio) broke his silence on the abuse allegations against Rep.
- Max Miller (R-Ohio) Wednesday and called for his fellow Ohio Republican to drop his reelection bid…