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Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Sep 6, 2026

The House Ethics Committee Lets Its Deadline Pass Without a Word on Max Miller, the NRCC Puts $450,000 Behind Him, and the House GOP Conference Chair Says "I Support Anybody With an R Behind Their Name" — While Six Republican Senators, Including Both of Ohio's, Have Told Him to Go

Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) has been under a House Ethics Committee investigation since early August 2026, opened at his own request after his ex-wife, Emily Moreno — the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) — alleged in a July 30 restraining-order filing that he threw scalding water at her, held a gun to her head and fractured their two-year-old daughter's collarbone. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, an ex-girlfriend, has also accused him of abuse. Miller denies everything, has sued Moreno for defamation, and is running for a third term in Ohio's 7th District. Friday, September 4 was the committee's 60-day mark to release findings or recommend punishment before the election. It did neither, effectively pushing any action past November. The same week, the National Republican Congressional Committee announced roughly $450,000 in coordinated television advertising for Miller starting September 7, and Rep. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) said a censure vote was probably "not going to be on the table" after reports surfaced of Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter's 1998 and 2013 arrests. On September 6, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress, was asked on CBS's "Face the Nation" whether she still supported Miller's reelection. "Listen, divorces are ugly," she said. "I support anybody with an R behind their name." Pressed on the six Republican senators who had called for Miller to resign — Katie Britt, Jim Banks, Jon Husted, Roger Marshall, Shelley Moore Capito and Tim Sheehy, who called Miller "clearly a degenerate sociopath" — McClain said "they've tried that avenue, and he's chosen to stay in the race," and "at the end of the day, he's our nominee right now." Her comments matched Speaker Mike Johnson's, who said on August 31 that Miller "has been a great member of Congress" with "some issues in his personal life he's working through." President Trump, who called the dispute "a very sad thing" in public, privately told Miller in early August that "things aren't looking good." The DCCC added Poindexter to its "Red to Blue" list on August 11, and Cook Political Report rates the seat a toss-up.

“I think they've tried that avenue, and he's chosen to stay in the race. So, like I said earlier, divorces are really ugly. I hope this comes out that he's okay, but at the end of the day, he's our nominee right now.”
Lisa McClain (R-MI) · Sep 6, 2026

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Sep 6, 2026

An Armed Man Shoves Through the Crowd Toward Ohio's Democratic Nominee for Governor at the Canfield Fair — Two Handguns, Brass Knuckles and a Taser on Him, Several People Knocked to the Ground — and the Republican Governor, Senator and Nominee All Condemn It Within Hours

At about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, 2026, Dr. Amy Acton — the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio and the state's former health director — was speaking in the Mahoning County Democratic Party's tent at the Canfield Fair, outside Youngstown, when a 38-year-old Canfield man holding up a cellphone began shoving his way through the crowd toward her. Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers and security stopped him; several people were knocked to the ground and injured. Acton, a physician, was not hurt and stayed to treat one of the injured. The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office identified the man as Patrick Havas and said deputies recovered two handguns, a set of brass knuckles and a Taser, none of which were drawn. He was booked on disorderly conduct and two counts of assault. Havas shares an address with Andrew Havas, a Jon Husted campaign volunteer who resigned in July after NBC News reported his 2009 misdemeanor conviction stemming from sexual-misconduct accusations involving a 15-year-old; investigators have not described a political motive. Condemnations came quickly and across party lines. Gov. Mike DeWine, who said he had spoken with Acton and that she asked him to tell Ohioans she was okay, called violence or its threat at political events "always unacceptable." Sen. Jon Husted said he and his wife were "disturbed" and that the behavior "must never be tolerated." Attorney General Andy Wilson said "political violence of any kind has no place in Ohio or our nation." The campaign of Acton's Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, said candidates "should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence," and Sherrod Brown, the Democratic Senate nominee, thanked law enforcement for a "quick and professional response." The incident came four days before the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination in Utah and in a race recent polling has shown to be competitive.

“The attempted violence directed at Dr. Acton is unacceptable — political violence of any kind has no place in Ohio or our nation.”
Andy Wilson (R-OH) · Sep 6, 2026

ICE Starts Detaining Haitians in Springfield, Ohio and Fitting More Than a Hundred With Ankle Monitors — as Ohio's Two Republican Senators Predict a "Booming Bonanza" Without Them and the Republican Governor Says the Opposite

Three weeks after Temporary Protected Status ended for roughly 350,000 Haitians, Immigration and Customs Enforcement began targeted enforcement in Springfield, Ohio — the city of about 60,000 that became a national flashpoint in 2024 over false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets, and that is now home to an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians. Clark County Sheriff Christopher Clark said on August 18, 2026 that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations personnel had been in the county since the prior Tuesday conducting targeted enforcement, and that he had learned it only because he asked for a meeting. By August 19 at least 15 to 17 Haitians had been detained, several of them held at the Butler County Jail, and more than 100 others had been summoned to ICE offices — including the Westerville field office — and fitted with electronic ankle monitors, a practice reporters could not find ICE using anywhere else in the country. Mayor Rob Rue confirmed the operations and said the city neither directs nor controls them, urging residents to "treat one another with dignity and respect." DHS would say only that it "does not discuss ongoing or future operations." The same week, Ohio's two Republican senators told reporters they were not worried about Springfield's economy losing its Haitian workforce. Jon Husted said the city was "on the rise" with "a bunch of new jobs coming." Bernie Moreno, a longtime critic of TPS, predicted "a big, huge, booming bonanza" and said the jobs would go to American citizens. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine — who defended Springfield's Haitians through the 2024 controversy — took the opposite view in a New York Times op-ed, writing that deporting "hard-working individuals" threatens his state's economic momentum.

“ICE has advised city staff that its enforcement and removal operations is conducting field enforcement activity throughout the nation as part of its daily duties, including in Springfield and surrounding areas. These are federal immigration enforcement operations. The city does not direct or control ICE enforcement activity.”
Rob Rue (R-OH) · Aug 19, 2026

Ohio and Indiana May Primaries Test Trump's Midterm Influence

On May 5, 2026, Ohio and Indiana held primary elections that served as early tests of both Trump's hold on the Republican Party and Democratic enthusiasm heading into the 2026 midterms. In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy — the former biotech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate — won the Republican gubernatorial primary and will face Democratic nominee Amy Acton, the former state health director who gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the marquee US Senate primary, former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown secured his party's nomination to challenge Republican Senator Jon Husted in what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races of the cycle. Pre-election data showed Democratic primary turnout outpacing Republican turnout by roughly 11%, a potential indicator of elevated Democratic enthusiasm. In Indiana, Trump invested heavily in ousting state Senate Republicans who had voted against his redistricting agenda, and at least five of seven Trump-backed challengers defeated incumbent GOP state senators — a striking demonstration of Trump's continued primary-election dominance within the party. $13.4 million was spent on Indiana state Senate primary advertising, up from $280,000 in 2024.

“The Republican Party is united heading into the fall. We have a strong record to run on and Ohioans know that the policies coming out of Washington are working — on border security, on the economy, on keeping America safe.”
Jon Husted (R-OH) · May 5, 2026