Can’t Shoot
I’m not a basketball guy. In fact, I was cut from the fifth grade basketball team at Southdale Elementary School in Kettering, Ohio. And they were right. No matter how many shots I took at the basket hung over the driveway at home, I didn’t improve. Hours of time, dribbling from the garage door to the pole, usually ended up with me in the next door neighbor’s yard, finding the ball. And while I was often the fastest kid on the court, there was no need to guard me. Leave me open, I’ll miss the shot all by myself.
So I found another sport in the winter, wrestling.
But I stayed around basketball long enough to understand the rules. You can’t walk without dribbling. And while it’s a physical game (did you see the NBA Finals, or any WNBA game?), there are some things you can’t do. In high school and college basketball, you get five personal fouls, and then you’re disqualified from the game.
Stupid Fouls
I did watch a lot of high school basketball. As part of my “duties” as Dean of Students, I was at most home games, usually keeping an eye on the student section of the stands. We wanted our kids to be excited and involved, but not to do anything stupid. The “stupid” part was where I came in as “the Dean”.
In a close basketball game, coaches protect their best players from fouling out of the game. They save the final foul so that their critical skills are on the game floor until the last seconds. But in a blowout, when no special talent was likely to change the outcome, a coach might leave their best “out there”, playing with four fouls. It’s a good experience for them to play under the handicap, and if/when they get tossed, it doesn’t really matter.
Max
Congressman Max Miller, is a thirty-seven year old Republican from Shaker Heights, a wealthy suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He represents the Seventh Congressional District, a carefully gerrymandered area including the Cleveland east and south suburbs, parts of suburban Akron, and huge swaths of Northeastern Ohio farmlands.
Miller was a staffer in the 2016 Trump Campaign. He transitioned to a Treasury Department job after the election, then moved to the White House staff. There, he became a Trump “favorite”. After Trump left office in 2021, Miller went back home to run for Congress.
He opposed Republican Tony Gonzalez, who was one of the ten Republican Congressmen to vote for Trump’s impeachment. In fact, Trump’s first campaign appearance after leaving office was at a rally for Miller. Gonzalez withdrew from the race in the fall of 2021, and Miller defeated his Democratic opponent Matt Diemer in 2022. He then won re-election against Diemer and Independent Dennis Kucinich in 2024.
Miller’s a flawed candidate. He has a history of physically abusing women, including during his short marriage to Emily Moreno, the daughter of current US Senator Bernie Moreno. They had one child together, and continue to wage an ugly custody fight over her. The battle has spilled over into the public arena. Just last week, the Senator weighed in stating that Miller was so violent that he wasn’t qualified to be a Representative in Congress. Miller responded by accusing Moreno of trying to distract from his own political problems. That includes a profane rant against Dr. Anthony Fauci in a formal Senate committee hearing.
Technical Issues
Ohio Republicans face a problem. Miller is the candidate for re-election in 2026. He is faced with a Progressive Democratic opponent in Brian Poindexter, and without a known independent like Dennis Kucinich to siphon off thousands of votes. And the more information that comes out about Miller, the less likely it seems that he can hold the Seventh.
There are technical issues. If Miller were to resign from office today, Ohio law requires a special election be held, and then the regular election in November. If Miller stays in office, but withdraws as a candidate by Monday, August 10th, Republicans can replace him on the ticket for November. But if Miller holds on until after Monday, his name will appear on the ballot in November, no matter what else occurs.
It’s not often that a Republican Senator from the same region comes out against a Republican Congressman. And while it’s more common (these days) to find Congressmen embroiled in bad behavior than it used to be, the evidence about Miller looks strong enough to cost him the seat in November.
Still in the Game?
So it comes down to this. Republicans do not want a special election. But they do not want Miller on the ballot in November. He won’t resign from the Congress, but will the powers of the Republican Party have enough to push him out of the campaign by Monday?
Will they pull him with “four fouls”, or allow him to “foul out” in November?
The answer may have more to do with what National Republicans really think about their chances of holding the House of Representatives for 2027. If they’ve already decided that Democrats will take the Speaker’s gavel, maybe it’s not worth a fight with Miller, and perhaps Trump, over Ohio’s Seventh District. After all, if Republicans are going to lose control, one more seat doesn’t matter much. But if Mike Johnson is really “in the fight” to keep the House, then Miller needs to go.
The clock is ticking down. Time runs out for the Seventh and Republicans on Monday.
