Max Miller, a former aide to Donald Trump, emerged as the winner of the Republican primary for Ohio's new 7th Congressional District on Tuesday.
Miller won with a wide margin, earning over 70% of the vote. He is hoping to replace former Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), who said he would retire after redistricting turned reelections into a "circus." Miller was endorsed by Trump when he was originally running against Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) in the 13th District, who later announced he would leave Congress after four years in office. But map changes in the redistricting process led Miller to instead challenge Gibbs in the GOP primary, which led him to retire at the end of this House term.
MAX MILLER IN OHIO TRIES TO BE THE FIRST EX-TRUMP AIDE TO MAKE IT TO CONGRESS
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) also endorsed Miller and offered him congratulations after he won the primary.
"I was proud to join President Trump in endorsing Max's campaign, and I know he will do great things in Congress to deliver on the America First agenda," she said in a statement. "I look forward to helping Max across the finish line in November as Republicans earn a historic majority to fire Nancy Pelosi once and for all and Save America."
Miller was a front-runner in the GOP field, raising nearly $2 million, according to last month's Federal Election Commission filings. He will face Democrat Matthew Diemer, who had only raised $109,000 by comparison, in November and will likely sail to victory. Gibbs won reelection in 2020 with over 67% of the vote in a district covering much of the same territory.
Miller has been a controversial candidate due to domestic violence claims against him made by former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. Miller, in turn, sued her for defamation, saying she made the allegations as fodder to help sell her tell-all book about the Trump administration. He has also been asked to testify before the Jan. 6 Committee.
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Ohio's May 3 primary almost did not proceed in light of the legal battle over the new map. Federal election primaries were allowed to proceed, while primaries for state offices will be held at a later date.
Due to slow population growth between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Ohio is losing a House seat starting with the next congressional term, going from 16 to 15 districts.