ASHLAND, Ohio -- During the summer, GOP Rep. Max Miller's re-election hopes looked dim following domestic-violence allegations. Fellow Republicans -- including the state's two senators -- said he should drop out, and President Trump told him his prospects for winning weren't good.

But headed into the final stretch, Republican groups are now throwing millions of dollars behind Miller, as the GOP tries to salvage the seat amid a grim outlook in the midterms. Miller said Trump called last month to praise him after initial doubts, and he said he had a "really good" conversation recently with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.). He said voters in his red-leaning constituency are aware of the allegations but are sticking with him.

"The people of our district know who I am," Miller said recently, pointing to the GOP spending as a sign of confidence that he can pull it off. "We're going to be OK."

Miller, 37 years old, is locked in a down-to-the-wire contest with Democrat Brian Poindexter, an ironworker and former Brook Park city councilman who is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and several unions. Poindexter, 47, ran ads highlighting the allegations against Miller, and Miller launched his own ads about Poindexter's run-ins with the law.

Miller "is going to lose because of his character issues," said Poindexter, who Democratic groups are heavily backing to flip the seat.

On the trail, Miller pushes his toddler in a wagon and pops nicotine pouches as he campaigns in his Cleveland-area district. Flanked by a body guard and, at times, several law-enforcement officers, Miller trumpets his conservatism to voters and points constituents to his district office in the same complex as a local courthouse -- joking that it reminds him of his own court appearances.

He is also railing against GOP lawmakers who demanded that he drop out. After a meeting at an antiabortion pregnancy-care center in Ashland, he called Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio) "as entertaining as a two-by-four" and "as smart as a box of rocks." Miller boasted, "My chances of winning are much better than his."

Husted, who had said Miller should quit Congress over the allegations, didn't respond to a request for comment. He is in a tight fight to keep his seat against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, in one of the country's most closely watched races.

Trump won Miller's district by 11 percentage points in 2024, but allegations and the Republican slump have put the seat in play. Republicans need to keep every seat they can if they have any hope of hanging onto their narrow House majority amid signs Democrats have the upper hand. Johnson has called Miller's troubles a personal issue and didn't push him to leave the race.

Allegations of abuse

Ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of Ohio's other Republican senator, Bernie Moreno, has accused Miller in court filings and police reports of throwing boiling water at her, holding a gun to her head and other physical abuse. The allegations drew national attention in late July. Moreno and Miller divorced in 2025, and the two share custody of their daughter, whose collarbone Moreno alleges was broken in Miller's care.

In an August statement, Bernie Moreno said his former son-in-law "is a danger to my daughter" and shouldn't be serving in Congress. The House Ethics Committee is investigating Miller, who has denied all allegations.

Unlike other congressmen -- including Democrat Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Tony Gonzales of Texas, who ended their campaigns this year when faced with allegations of wrongdoing -- Miller stayed in the race. Election watchers moved the contest to tossup.

During the summer, Trump declined to withdraw his endorsement or call for Miller to step down, framing claims as a private family matter. But he warned Miller, who was a close White House aide in Trump's first term, that his prospects of winning weren't good. Trump also privately told some advisers that he thought Miller should step aside, according to a person with knowledge of his comments.

But that has changed, Miller said, saying the president is "incredibly supportive."

"It's much different now. He was very happy with me...He says I'm going to win," Miller said, referencing a September phone call with the president and White House officials. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.

Campaign ads go negative

Both parties are pouring money into the race. Last month, the GOP leadership-aligned super PAC, Congressional Leadership Fund, committed about $5 million to ads in the area, challenging a nearly $6 million blitz by its Democratic counterpart. The National Republican Congressional Committee has also funded ads in the race.

Poindexter initially said over the summer that he wanted to focus on working-class issues, not Miller's problems. But an ad released by his campaign last month featured a sheriff reading off allegations against Miller.

"I just want to make sure people have the facts," Poindexter said recently in Berea, Ohio, after a campaign stop to talk to voters. "We can continue to fight for workers while also letting people know who my opponent is and the character flaws that he has."

Miller and his allies are releasing ads focused on various run-ins Poindexter has had with the law -- including a police report from when he was 18 that alleged Poindexter tried to swallow a rock of suspected crack cocaine.

"I didn't get charged because I absolutely did not do that," said Poindexter. "I'm a much better person now than I was then...I will put my record up against Max Miller's any day of the week."

The two candidates have never met. In interviews, they blamed the other for bringing personal matters into the race and each likened their opponent to Graham Platner, the former Democratic Senate candidate in Maine who ended his campaign over sexual-assault allegations. Platner denied wrongdoing.

Poindexter is working to build name recognition and scoop up GOP defectors. He spent a recent weekend introducing himself to attendees at a church lunch and rallying with a prominent Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland. Poindexter, a former Republican and former truck driver, courted gas-station customers in a discussion about high prices.

Miller said he was confident Republican voters don't care enough about his allegations to cost him the race. Talking to voters at a fall festival in Medina County, Miller hugged a tie-dye clad man who said, "Don't worry, we think Bernie Moreno sucks, too."

Brandon Carpenter, a Republican running for Ashland County commissioner manning the party's booth at a separate fair Miller visited in Ashland, said voters should "look into these allegations and make that decision for yourself." But, he said, "at the end of the day, where things are at, I think you're much better off than voting for a Democrat."

The allegations have made an impression with other voters. Nicholas Wray, a 19-year-old Republican at the Ashland fair sporting a MAGA hat, said he couldn't support Miller. "My siblings are mostly sisters and I love Bernie Moreno...As for if I would vote blue, it's not off the table, but I'd prefer not to vote for that race," he said.