Jewish Trump aide considering challenge to Ohio Republican who voted for impeachment

Ron Kampeas

(JTA) — Max Miller, a scion of a philanthropic Jewish Cleveland-area family and a former aide to Donald Trump, is considering challenging one of the Republicans who voted to impeach Trump.

Miller, 32, confirmed to the Cleveland Jewish News on Monday that he was considering a run against Anthony Gonzalez, who currently represents Ohio’s 16th District, which includes some of Cleveland’s suburbs.

“I have yet to make a decision if I am really going to pursue it, so it is more like a consideration,” Miller told the newspaper. “I haven’t even filed yet. But, the moment I file for candidacy, if that time comes, I will make an announcement. I plan on making that decision in the next few weeks.”

Gonzalez infuriated Trump for being one of 10 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives who voted last month to impeach Trump for his role in spurring the deadly Jan. 6 raid on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from affirming Joe Biden’s election.

Miller held senior positions organizing “advance” for both Trump’s White House and his 2020 campaign. That meant he helped direct Trump’s rallies — Trump’s most cherished means of getting out his message.

Miller’s grandfather, Sam Miller, was a major Jewish philanthropist in the Cleveland area. He died in 2019.

Politico, which first reported that Max Miller was considering a run, says he has bought a house in Gonzalez’s district. It says he has already solicited commitments in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a primary challenge against Gonzalez, and has told people he could self-finance a run.

Josh Mandel, a former state treasurer who has aligned himself with the Trump wing of the GOP, is running for the Senate in Ohio. Like Miller, Mandel is a Marine.