Brian Poindexter beats embattled Max Miller in Ohio’s 7th district

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Republican incumbent Max Miller lost to Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter in Ohio’s 7th District.

Miller stayed in the race after calls that he drop out after abuse allegations were made by his ex-wife. Miller denied the allegations.

Brian Poindexter, Democratic candidate for U.S. House District 7

Ohio ironworker running to represent the working person in Washington

Brian Poindexter grew up in Cleveland. In school, he worked in the machine shop while lettering in football, wrestling, and baseball.

Poindexter prides himself on his lifetime of working hard. After high school, he worked in kitchens and factories, drove tow motors, and worked in the moving industry. He eventually obtained his CDL license and traveled to all states in the continental U.S.

In 2007, Poindexter became a union ironworker. He worked in an apprenticeship program and earned associate degree in Applied Industrial Technology from Cuyahoga Community College.

After nearly two decades as an ironworker working on large jobs in the Cleveland-area, he now serves as an apprenticeship instructor at Ironworkers 17.

In 2017, Poindexter became an at-large member of the Brook Park City Council where he lives.

Cost of living is Poindexter’s number one priority

Poindexter says working families are getting overwhelmed by out of control costs and wants to make sure their voice is heard in Washington D.C.

Poindexter plans to tackle high costs with three major objectives. His first is to bring down the cost of gas by ending the war in Iran. He’s using his experience as a truck driver to say that when fuel is high, prices go up.

Secondly, Poindexter wants to end blanket tariffs that have also contributed to making goods more expensive. He believes blanket tariffs are too broad and drive up all costs including food, housing, and construction.

Third, Poindexter says he will fight to address the complex expensive costs of health care. He believes strengthening bargaining rights for all workers and especially health care workers will help reduce costs. He also wants to work towards a more universal health care system if he’s elected to the House of Representatives.

Negative attack ads and legal issues

The race between Poindexter and Miller has been full of attack ads and accusations hurled by each candidate. Miller has accused Poindexter of a whole slew of criminal issues and run-ins with police.

19 News asked Poindexter about these. Poindexter acknowledged he was arrested for drug possession when he was a young man back in the late-90s. He says it was for marijuana and is owning up to that mistake and says he grew from it.

Miller is also airing an ad accusing Poindexter of possession of crack cocaine. He says this is nonsense. In fact, Poindexter points to the many yearly and random drug tests given to him as a union ironworker and says he’s never failed a single one.

Miller’s ads also accuse Poindexter of being arrested for slapping a man at a baseball game. Poindexter again says he was not arrested in this matter.

Meanwhile, Poindexter turns the spotlight back on Miller by pointing out Miller’s ongoing legal battles after accusations of domestic violence have come to light.

Click here for a more in-depth look at Brian Poindexter’s history and his platforms.

You can also watch 19 News’s sit-down interview with Poindexter, where he talks about why he’s running, the platforms that mean the most to him, and his legal issues as well.

Max Miller, incumbent Republican candidate for U.S. House District 7

Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller is asking voters in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District for a third term on Nov. 3. He faces Democrat Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker and former Brook Park city councilman.

The district covers Cleveland’s West Side suburbs, Medina, Wayne and Ashland counties. President Donald Trump carried it by 11 points in 2024, and it was considered a relatively safe Republican seat for Miller until this year.

That changed after Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, accused him of abuse. Moreno is the daughter of Republican U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio. Miller has denied the allegations.

19 News has reached out to Miller’s campaign several times for a one-on-one interview to address questions about his platform and the allegations against him. He has not committed to any interviews with us at this time.

Background

Miller, 37, grew up in Shaker Heights and graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 2007. He earned a degree from Cleveland State University in 2013 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve from 2013 to 2019, according to the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. His congressional website says he lives in Bay Village.

He was first elected to Congress in 2022, defeating Democrat Matthew Diemer with 55% of the vote. Miller sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, where he serves on the Oversight and Work and Welfare subcommittees. He also serves on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and has called the NASA Glenn Research Center a priority. His fellow second-term Republicans chose him for the GOP Steering Committee, which assigns committee seats.

The allegations

Emily Moreno, Miller’s ex-wife, has accused him of abusing her during their marriage. The former couple is in a custody dispute over their 2-year-old daughter.

In August, Miller posted a video on social media denying that he abused his ex-wife or his daughter. He also said he would not drop out of the race. Several lawmakers had called on him to step aside before the deadline for Republicans to replace him on the ballot.

Miller then asked the House Ethics Committee to review the allegations against him, and the committee confirmed it is investigating.

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), the father of Emily Moreno, also said on social media in August that Miller should not continue to serve in the House.

“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Sen. Moreno wrote. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”

Federal lawsuit

In August, Moreno sued Miller in federal court on behalf of their daughter. The lawsuit also names Miller’s attorney, Aaron Minc, and Minc’s law firm. Moreno’s attorneys at The Chandra Law Firm sent the court filings to 19 News in a news release.

The lawsuit is about a set of documents in a public Dropbox that Miller shared online. On Aug. 2, during a livestream on social media, Miller pointed viewers to a public Dropbox folder. According to court documents, the lawsuit claims that folder included a nude photo of the couple’s 2-year-old daughter. The court documents say Minc admitted in an email that the photo was online for about 23 hours before it was taken down. They also say Miller’s post linking to the folder was viewed more than 400,000 times.

On Oct. 22, Moreno added two of Miller’s congressional staff members to the lawsuit. According to the court documents filed by Moreno, Miller said in September, as part of the custody case, that those two staffers ran his X account and handled the documents. The updated lawsuit also accuses the defendants of breaking a federal law against sharing intimate images without consent, sometimes called the federal “revenge porn” law.

Miller and Minc both asked a judge to throw out the original lawsuit, according to court documents. In court filings this month, Miller and Minc, argued that the posts were protected by free speech because they dealt with a public issue. Minc also argued that Miller, as the child’s father, gave permission to share the photo.

The case is still open in federal court.