Ohio Sen. Jon Husted turned his back on embattled Rep. Max Miller after spending the past week dodging the domestic violence allegations embroiling his fellow MAGA Republican.
Husted, a Republican, repeatedly declined to answer reporters' questions and, at one point, reportedly stared off when pressed. That changed Thursday, when he called for the one-time ally to get lost.
In a statement posted to X, Husted said Miller should abandon his campaign and leave office.
"Anyone who commits domestic violence is not fit to serve in Congress," Husted wrote, adding that Miller would be making the right decision by stepping aside as a candidate and resigning to focus on the best interest of his daughter.
Husted, appointed last year to fill JD Vance's Senate seat, had touted Miller's endorsement of his own campaign as recently as February. He now becomes the second Ohio Republican senator to push Miller toward the exits, joining Bernie Moreno — the father of Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno.
The allegations, drawn from divorce and police records, include Moreno's claims that Miller threw her against a wall, held a gun to her head and threw hot water at her, with later filings raising alarm over the couple's 2-year-old daughter. Miller denies all of it.
"I categorically deny abusing my former wife," he said in a video, insisting no court or agency has substantiated the claims. He has not been criminally charged, and a county prosecutor declined to pursue the case, citing insufficient evidence.
Miller requested a House Ethics Committee review of himself and has refused to quit even as Trump privately signaled the race looks tough, and the ballot deadline closed in. Beyond Rep. Jim Jordan, who called Miller a good man, Ohio Republicans have mostly stayed silent.