On Sunday, Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller went live on camera to deny the horrifying domestic abuse allegations levied by his ex-wife, saying that her accusations are false because she returned to him days later.

“My former wife has claimed that during a custody exchange at my home that day, I assaulted her. Here’s what actually happened, and I have the Ring doorbell footage that backs that up,” Miller said in a cringeworthy, direct-to-camera address, in which he said he has no plans to drop out of the race. “If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?”

Of course, victims of abuse often return to their abusers, doing things like cooking them dinner to try to placate them in the hopes that they won’t be subject to the same abuse again. So Miller’s claim that she cooked him dinner after the alleged abuse doesn’t absolve him of anything.

What’s more, Miller has a history of violent conduct, and has been accused of domestic violence by other women, including former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, making his denials even less believable.

Until now, Republicans had buried their heads in the sand about Miller, refusing to condemn him or force him to step aside despite the disturbing abuse allegations.

But now, GOP operatives are raising alarm bells about Miller’s ability to hold on to Ohio’s Seventh District, a seat Donald Trump carried by 11 points in 2024, according to data from the Downballot. It’s one Republicans need to win this fall if they have any hopes of holding onto a majority.

One GOP operative too spineless to put their name to their comments told Politico that Miller’s abuse scandal is “Graham Platner on steroids”—a nod to the allegations against the now-former Maine Democratic Senate nominee, who Democrats pushed out after he was accused of rape.

“What happens when Democrats run ad after ad targeting GOP voters about Miller abusing the daughter of a pro-Trump MAGA senator?” the unnamed operative told Politico. “What does that do to GOP turnout? How does that affect our candidates at the top of the ticket who are already in tough races?”

The operative’s fears are well-founded. An internal Republican poll obtained by the media outlet NOTUS found Miller is behind his Democratic opponent, union ironworker Brian Poindexter, by five points. And that’s before millions of dollars have been dumped into this race informing voters of Miller’s alleged conduct.

It’s why Miller’s former father-in-law, who happens to be Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, finally broke his silence about the situation on Sunday, saying that Miller needs to resign. Per Ohio law, Miller would need to drop out before 4 PM on Wednesday to be able to be replaced on the ballot.

“Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible,” Moreno said in a statement.

Moreno added,

As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter. 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. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake. I believe he should not be free to continue endangering others until he does.

Yet Miller’s reply to Moreno shows he has no plans to step aside, which would saddle Republicans with this extremely damaged nominee this fall.

“If my daughter said the same thing to me, I personally wouldn’t wait two years before holding him accountable. You know this isn’t true and the only reason you are speaking out now is to hide from your own media circus. This is all political,” Miller said in reply to Moreno’s statement.

Democrats, for their part, had already been targeting Miller for defeat even before the domestic violence allegations grew. Miller’s Democratic opponent went as far as saying Miller’s alleged conduct doesn’t just disqualify him from serving in Congress, but should put him in prison.

“These are serious allegations and deserve the full attention of law enforcement,” Poindexter said in a statement this week. “If all the allegations against Congressman Miller prove to be true, Max Miller should be in jail, not worried about retaining a seat in Congress.”

Before the latest allegations of abuse—including accusations that Miller allegedly broke the collarbone of his then-two-year-old daughter—political handicapping outlets rated the race a Likely Republican contest.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos