Republican congressman Max Miller of Ohio is resisting pressure to abandon his re-election campaign amid domestic-abuse allegations from his former wife, Emily Moreno, which he denies. The dispute has intensified divisions within the Republican Party, including with Moreno’s father, Senator Bernie Moreno, and has raised concerns that the party could lose Miller’s competitive Cleveland-area seat.

The article highlights a custody dispute over the couple’s two-year-old daughter’s blue stuffed bunny, which Miller is accused of withholding; it has become a symbol of their broader personal and political conflict. Miller has released documents in his defence and says he will remain in the race, despite a House Ethics Committee investigation and doubts reportedly expressed by Donald Trump; Ohio Republicans face an August 10 deadline to replace him on the November ballot if he withdraws.