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There’s a reason why the Democratic challenger to Rep. Max Miller isn’t talking much about the domestic abuse allegations against the Ohio Republican.
Brian Poindexter told Semafor that he believes voters want him focused on the cost of living, not his opponent.
Poindexter, an ironworker, told Semafor that Ohioans are “tired of the campaign of ‘vote for me because the other guy is so terrible.’ And everybody knows Max Miller’s issues.”
In sticking to the economy, Poindexter — endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders — is aligning with the Vermont independent’s view that voters’ real-world concerns outweigh personal scandals.
And with some recent polling showing Poindexter pulling ahead of Miller, with a large majority of voters in the district already aware of the abuse allegations, the Democrat’s strategy could be working.
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Sanders and his allies’ focus on economic issues among has at times prompted Democrats to contend it shows blind spots on race and gender. But Poindexter is steering clear at a good time, with Republicans divided on Miller.
“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,” Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, wrote yesterday on social media.
Speaker Mike Johnson has said he’d wait for the results of an ethics investigation into the incumbent.
Miller has a Monday deadline to be replaced on the ballot, but he’s said he’ll stay in the race. Republicans have fretted that Miller’s scandals could make the district Trump won by 11 points in 2024 vulnerable in what’s expected to be a strong year for Democrats.
Poindexter said he was prepared to run against any Republican. “Whether it’s Max Miller or anyone else, our message stays exactly the same,” he said. “They can try to insert a generic Republican here. Doesn’t matter.”