Who's In the Race

Rep. Max Miller (a Marine Corps Reserve veteran who won the Republican primary for Ohio's 7th U.S. House District unopposed) will run against Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker who led the Democratic field with 23,055 votes, nearly 10,000 more than the next-closest Democrat. [](#ngr-3c7c695c-6b74-40b3-baf5-2d57806390bc)

Miller is the district's incumbent representative, first elected in 2022. Poindexter is a union ironworker and apprenticeship instructor with Ironworkers Local 17 and has served on Brook Park City Council since 2017. He was added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" program in August 2026. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3.

What They Stand For

Max Miller centers his platform on border security, energy production, and support for veterans. His official congressional website states that "the Biden Administration's lax immigration policies and willful disregard for our laws have created a crisis at our southern border," and he has voted for legislation to secure the border, including the Laken Riley Act.

On energy, he voted for an appropriations package he says advances "American energy dominance by increasing investments in domestic energy production, critical mineral extraction, grid security, and geothermal energy," and he authored the Farm to Fly Act, described on his official site as legislation to "secure American energy resources and drive rural economic development."

Miller, a Marine Corps Reserve veteran, has introduced bipartisan legislation to expand federal agriculture jobs for veterans and a bill to name a VA clinic in Medina County after a Korean War veteran. He chairs the Subcommittee on the Environment within the House Committee on Science, Space & Technology and has introduced bipartisan legislation to modernize the tax treatment of digital assets.

Brian Poindexter built his campaign around workers' rights, manufacturing, and healthcare affordability. His campaign website states: "Every worker deserves the freedom to organize without intimidation. Strong unions mean safer workplaces, fair pay, and stronger communities." He spent two years, from 2012 to 2014, as a union organizer before becoming an apprenticeship instructor.

On the economy, the campaign site states: "Working families are paying more while corporations post record profits. An economy that works should work for the people who power it."

On manufacturing, Poindexter's platform argues that "if corporations want tax breaks, subsidies, and access to American markets, they should earn them by creating good-paying jobs here, respecting workers' rights, and investing in the communities that support them." On healthcare, his site calls the current system "a shell game designed to wear people down" and calls for a more accessible, straightforward system.

The Money Behind the Race

Outside groups have spent more targeting Democratic candidates in the race than Republican ones: $847,688 directed at Democrats versus $345,417 directed at Republicans, based on Federal Election Commission independent expenditures through Sept. 21.

Breaking that down by intent, outside groups have spent $772,352 in support and $420,753 in opposition. Support spending targets Poindexter. Opposition spending targets Miller and Democratic primary candidate Edward O'Donnell Fitzgerald. An additional $843,461 in pending notices had not yet been restated in periodic reports as of Sept. 24.

The five leading outside spenders, ranked by confirmed totals, are:

  • Jobs and Democracy PAC — $570,204
  • AB PAC — $345,417
  • BDA PAC — $198,019
  • Jobs & Prosperity PAC — $75,336
  • Working Families Party PAC — $4,054

The committee leaderboard is approximate; one committee present in the underlying data fell outside the top-five ranking. The leaderboard reports total spending only and does not indicate which candidates each committee supported or opposed.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Three independent handicappers all rate this race a toss-up: the Cook Political Report as of Sept. 11, Sabato's Crystal Ball as of Sept. 22, and Inside Elections as of Sept. 17.

Prediction market Kalshi put the Democratic candidate's probability of winning at about 79 percent and the Republican's at about 21 percent as of Sept. 24, based on $165,560 in market volume.

Miller won the seat in 2022 with 55 percent of the vote. He won re-election in 2024 with 51 percent, a margin that narrowed by roughly four points. Statewide, Republicans won 11 of 14 federal congressional races in 2022 and nine of 14 in 2024, giving Ohio a clear Republican lean overall. Donald Trump carried Ohio in the 2024 presidential election with 55 percent of the vote.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article