Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, reportedly refuses to end his reelection campaign, defying a looming deadline for Republicans to replace him on the ballot amid domestic abuse allegations by his ex-wife.

Monday at 4 p.m. is the deadline for Republican officials to find a replacement candidate, a spokesman for the Ohio secretary of state told MS NOW on Sunday.

But the embattled Ohio congressman so far is ignoring calls from members of his own party to step aside in light of accusations by his ex-wife that Miller physically assaulted her and their toddler daughter. The abuse accusations, which have exposed a family feud between two prominent Ohio Republican lawmakers, have caused a larger rift between Republicans and put a once solidly GOP seat in play for Democrats.

A spokeswoman for Miller told The New York Times that the congressman plans to stay in the race. She did not immediately reply to a request for comment from MS NOW on Sunday about his plans.

Miller, a former aide to President Donald Trump, said the president expressed his own doubts about the Ohio Republican’s chances of winning in a phone call last week. “He said, ‘I don’t know if you’re going to be able to, you know, pull this one out,’” Miller told CNN, quoting Trump.

Sens. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., explicitly called on Miller to resign. And Miller’s former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has angrily denounced Miller’s alleged treatment of his daughter and granddaughter and said he “should not serve in the House of Representatives.”

The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Miller last week, shortly after Miller said he personally requested it.

Recommended

Erum Salam

Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.