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{"id":26823,"date":"2026-08-12T08:47:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T08:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/republicans-stay-mum-on-whether-theyll-return-campaign-cash-from-embattled-max-miller\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T08:47:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T08:47:41","slug":"republicans-stay-mum-on-whether-theyll-return-campaign-cash-from-embattled-max-miller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/republicans-stay-mum-on-whether-theyll-return-campaign-cash-from-embattled-max-miller\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans stay mum on whether they\u2019ll return campaign cash from embattled Max Miller"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Rep. Max Miller has kicked campaign cash to more than a dozen fellow Republicans competing in some of the midterm\u2019s tightest races. Few are saying whether they now have plans to return the money as the Ohio lawmaker seeks reelection despite serious allegations of domestic abuse.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00775999&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2022&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2024&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2026&amp;line_number=F3X-23\" target=\"_blank\"><u>According to records<\/u> filed with the Federal Elections Commission,<\/a> Miller\u2019s Dependable Conservative Leadership PAC has made contributions to 16 GOP incumbents struggling to hold onto their seats in Congress. <\/p>\n<p>The money \u2014 more than $70,000 in all \u2014 has largely been donated in increments of $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000. In a few cases, such as with Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), the PAC maxed out with $10,000 donations.<\/p>\n<p>Of these 16 Republicans who received money from Miller this cycle contacted this week by Blue Light News, only the campaign for Rep. Brad Finstad of Minnesota said it had already returned its $5,000 contribution. <\/p>\n<p>A campaign spokesman for Lawler, meanwhile, said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/new-york-playbook\/2026\/08\/11\/foes-of-mamdanis-rent-freeze-eye-supreme-court-01032244\" target=\"_blank\"><u>the incumbent Republican had no plans<\/u><\/a> to relinquish the money, noting that Democratic challenger Cait Conley had attended a fundraiser hosted for her by former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 amid a prostitution scandal.<\/p>\n<p>But spokespeople in the congressional offices and campaigns for the other 14 candidates did not return requests for comment, underscoring the uncomfortable situation Republicans find themselves in as they seek to distance themselves from Miller without giving up any cash advantage in the final weeks leading up to the November elections.<\/p>\n<p>Those staying silent now include Husted, who is facing a tough election against former Sen. Sherrod Brown. Husted said Miller <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/08\/06\/congress\/jon-husted-max-miller-drop-out-01027675\" target=\"_blank\"><u>should not run for reelection<\/u><\/a> after Emily Miller \u2014 Max Miller\u2019s ex-wife and fellow Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno\u2019s daughter \u2014 accused her former husband of assaulting her and their young child.<\/p>\n<p>Miller has denied the accusations. Spokespeople for his campaign and PAC did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Other Republican candidates who have remained quiet in recent days about whether they\u2019ll give Miller back his money are Pennsylvania Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Ryan Mackenzie and Brian Fitzpatrick, as well as Iowa Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.<\/p>\n<p>They also include Reps. Nick Begich III of Alaska, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Gabe Evans of Colorado, Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey, Jen Kiggans of Virginia, David Valadao of California and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<p>Van Orden, asked Tuesday night about the $2,500 contribution he received from Miller during about an interview about the results of his state&#8217;s primary elections, refused to discuss the matter, calling the accusations against Miller &#8220;allegations&#8221; he had heard about &#8220;the day before yesterday.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Miller will be the GOP candidate on the ballot this fall in Ohio&#8217;s 7th Congressional District after he rejected calls to get out of the race before a legal deadline this past week to replace him \u2014 forcing Republicans to support him if they want the party to hold onto the seat. Members of President Donald Trump\u2019s political team also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/08\/10\/white-house-max-miller-pressure-campaign-01031353\" target=\"_blank\"><u>urged Ohio Republicans<\/u><\/a> to hold off on a public pressure campaign to get Miller to drop out so as not to risk the party appearing ununified.<\/p>\n<p>Polling now shows Miller trailing his Democratic challenger, Brian Poindexter, which could force the GOP to spend precious resources in a district that would otherwise be safely red \u2014 and possibly cost them a seat Trump won by double digits. Poindexter, a city councilmember and union ironworker, was added Tuesday to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee&#8217;s \u201cred-to-blue\u201d program, reserved for congressional candidates who are seen as standing a chance of flipping a Republican-held seat.<\/p>\n<p>But Miller\u2019s baggage may not be confined to his race alone. Some Democrats are already using the unreturned campaign donations as fodder to hammer Republicans running in other contests around the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRyan doesn\u2019t care,\u201d said Benny Stanislawski, communications director for Democrat Bob Brooks, in attacking Brooks\u2019 opponent Mackenzie. \u201cThat\u2019s who he is: open for business for whoever\u2019s willing to pay up, no questions asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a statement Tuesday called Democrats \u201cshameless hypocrites who conveniently look the other way when their vulnerable members are bankrolled by scandal-plagued Democrats like [former Rep.] Eric Swalwell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The NRCC also claimed that some of the Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/13\/swalwell-battleground-democrats-campaign-donations-00870080\" target=\"_blank\"><u>who said they\u2019d give away Swalwell campaign contributions<\/u><\/a> have, in fact, not returned the money as promised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody should take these slimeballs seriously when their supposed principles disappear the second they become politically inconvenient,\u201d Marinella added of Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Miller, Swalwell resigned in April and ended his gubernatorial bid in California amid intense pressure from inside his own party over sexual assault allegations he denies.<\/p>\n<p>Viet Shelton, a spokesperson with the DCCC, shot back that it is, in fact, Republicans who \u201cspend all their time virtue signaling about how self righteous they are just to turn around and take dirty money from disgraced, disgusting, and abhorrent men \u2026 They should stop with the fake outrage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some House Republicans continue to rally around Miller as the party seeks to hold onto its razor-thin majority: Just last week, Miller and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.)<a href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00770818\/2003978\/\" target=\"_blank\">filed a new joint fundraising committee<\/a> with the FEC.<\/p>\n<p>Luna<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/08\/01\/max-miller-abuse-divorce-gop-01021028\" target=\"_blank\">said in a recent text message to POLITICO<\/a> that she would not get in the middle of a private matter between the Millers. Tuesday night, she said the committee was \u201cnot active,&#8221; adding: &#8220;nothing more to it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><i>Samuel Benson, Lisa Kashinsky, Madison Fernandez and Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Max Miller has kicked campaign cash to more than a dozen fellow Republicans competing in some of the midterm\u2019s tightest races. Few are saying whether they now have plans to return the money as the Ohio lawmaker seeks reelection despite serious allegations of domestic abuse. According to records filed with the Federal Elections Commission, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-congress"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26823\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}