CNN’s Harry Enten warned Republicans that Rep. Max Miller’s domestic abuse scandal could cost the GOP a House seat if the embattled Ohio congressman stays in the race.
The CNN data analyst delivered the blunt warning after prediction markets swung dramatically against the Ohio Republican following allegations made by Miller’s ex-wife, Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno’s daughter, GOP political operative Emily Moreno.
“Max Miller is going to cost his party, most likely cost his party a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Enten warned.
The comments come as Miller continues to reject calls to end his re-election campaign. Miller has denied the allegations, and President Donald Trump has not called on him to withdraw.
According to Enten, the race for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District has swung drastically since the allegations became public.
Predictions on the Kalshi betting market showed Democratic candidate Brian Poindexter’s odds of winning the seat jumping from 37 percent on July 25 to 70 percent on Wednesday, while Miller’s chances plunged from 64 percent to 30 percent over the same period.
“Falling down through the floor,” Enten said of Miller’s odds.
“What seemed like a race that was favoring Miller is now favoring the Democrat Poindexter as this scandal has hit the press,” the data guru said.
Enten also pointed to historical data suggesting scandals “still do matter in our politics.” He said House members caught up in scandal have historically been reelected only 57 percent of the time, compared with 85 percent overall.
Interest in the controversy has also surged in Miller’s home district. Enten said Google searches for “Max Miller” in the Cleveland-Akron area increased by 3,200 percent over the past two weeks, reaching a record high for searches related to the congressman.
“This is already shaping up to be a bad Republican year in Ohio,” Enten said. “When you have a scandal to tack onto it, no wonder the prediction markets have moved like they have.”
“You put it all together, it is no wonder why I said at the top of this—Max Miller, already running in a tough environment with this scandal, and if he continues to run, will likely cost his party a House seat,” he added.
Despite the mounting pressure, Miller has insisted he will remain in the race.
During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, Miller pointed to Trump as an example of why he wouldn’t quit.
“In 2016, when President Donald J. Trump faced the most extreme allegations in the world that hit him day after day after day, and people in the media, very much like yourself and others, said that he would have no shot at winning, that he should not be the president of the United States. But guess what? He stayed in, and he was resilient,” Miller said.
He struck a similar tone during an appearance on Newsmax, saying: “When we go back to 2015 and 2016, and people in the media looked at President Donald J Trump, and everyone came out with allegations. Dozens of women, dozens of crazy allegations, dozens of nasty criminal misconduct. And you know what he did? He stayed in the fight.”
Miller also acknowledged that Trump had called him and expressed doubts about his re-election prospects.
“He said, ‘I don’t know if you’re going to be able to pull this one out,’” Miller recalled, adding that he responded by pointing to Trump’s “struggle in 2016.”
The congressman has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying previous investigations allowed him to retain joint custody of his daughter and arguing that “if they were true, I’d be in prison.”
On Monday, Miller announced on X that he would request a House ethics investigation into himself.
“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” Miller wrote. “I have absolutely nothing to hide.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to a representative for Miller for comment.
