Scandals have engulfed three members of the U.S House of Representatives, but conservative Christian “pro-family” groups are standing by their GOP men — Max Miller of Ohio, Cory Mills of Florida and Chuck Edwards of North Carolina — in the last 100 days before Nov. 3 elections that will determine control of the U.S. House.
The men’s personal lives may be a mess, but all were elected with support from National Right to Life Committee, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, Family Research Council Action, and Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum.
But cracks have appeared in GOP support for Miller, and on Monday a House ethics panel censured Edwards.
Scandal is nonpartisan. Democrat Graham Platner’s Senate campaign in Maine sank amid claims of sexual assault. Pro-family groups are partisan, however, endorsing only Republicans, and often prioritizing leaders’ conservative ideology over godly family values.
Eagle Forum responds
After BNG published this article, Anne Schlafly of Eagle Forum responded that her organization had not, in fact, “endorsed” any of the mentioned candidates. However, Eagle Forum is on record giving each of the troubled candidates high scores on its voter guides and has not issued any statement to rescind those ratings.
Rep. Max Miller of Ohio
Max Miller
Miller’s drama had a major new plot twist Sunday when Republican Ohio U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno declared him unfit for office. It was the first time Moreno spoke publicly about Miller, who was married to Moreno’s daughter Emily from 2022 to 2025.
Miller and Emily Moreno are engaged in a vicious legal battle. She says he threw scalding water on her, put a gun to her head and abused their infant daughter, breaking her collarbone. Emily filed for a restraining order last week.
Miller, who is Jewish, denies it all, says his ex-wife is mentally ill and claims she is stalking him.
The current act of the drama ends Wednesday, Aug. 5. That’s when the GOP must finalize its candidates for November ballots. Miller’s Cleveland-area district was considered safe for the GOP in ruby-red Ohio, but Democratic candidate Brian Poindexter is now competitive
In quick succession on Sunday:
- Miller repeated his denials in a livestream and said he was staying in the race.
- Fellow GOP Rep. Mike Turner didn’t defend Miller but criticized Maragaret Brennan of CBS’ Face the Nation for asking about him. “This is best handled in a courtroom and not in a TV studio,” Miller said. “And this is, you know, that type of speculation is better for TMZ than CBS.”
- Moreno ended his silence to declare on social media site X that his former son-in-law is unfit for office; is “a danger to my daughter” and granddaughter and should “seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”
Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham wrote in her memoir about dating a fellow employee in the first Trump administration who was physically abusive. She has since confirmed the man was Miller, and she is suing Miller for breaching their confidentiality agreement.
Miller worked as Trump’s “Music Man,” cueing up songs for Trump’s public rallies, and in private spinning favorite show tunes when the president was angry and upset. Based on that relationship, Trump endorsed Miller when he first ran in 2022, the same year he married Emily Moreno.
Rep. Cory Mills of Florida
Cory Mills
“GOP lawmaker accused of assaulting girlfriend brags about ‘100% family rating,’” said the headline of one recent story about Mills, a former Army officer facing accusations and investigations for physical abuse; threats of revenge porn against a former Miss United States; profiting from federal weapons contracts; and making up important parts of his military biography, as BNG reported last fall.
Earlier this year, Mills sought to push back against criticism of his behavior by citing his pro-family credentials: “I’m honored to have received a 100% rating from the Family Research Council. Their mission to champion faith, family and freedom, and to advance a culture where life is valued and religious liberty thrives, is at the core of what I’m fighting for in Congress. I’ll continue working every day to defend those principles and deliver for the people I serve.”
Mills is reportedly under investigation by the Department of Justice and faces a House Ethics Committee investigation into violating campaign finance laws.
Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina
Chuck Edwards
On Monday, the House Ethics panel recommended censure for Edwards and backed up their call with a 20-page report on his inappropriate relationships with female staffers, behavior that’s been called sexual harassment.
“Taken individually, many of Rep. Edwards’ actions were at minimum inappropriate,” says the House report. “That Rep. Edwards did all these things to two young staffers, repeatedly over a sustained period, was beyond inappropriate. Despite the absence of an explicit proposition, a reasonable person could interpret Rep. Edwards’ intimate and effusive attentions, where he prioritized the personal over the professional, as thinly veiled advances.”
The report concludes: “This report should not only hold Rep. Edwards accountable for his poor judgment and unbecoming conduct but also serve as a caution to all members that sexual harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated in the House.”
It’s not clear House Speaker Mike Johnson will allow the House to consider the committee’s motion to censure Edwards. Johnson also reportedly resisted efforts to open a House investigation into Max Miller.
Edwards also is endorsed by The North Carolina Values Coalition, one of 39 state-based political groups linked to Focus on the Family.