2026-08-05T17:05:39.600Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/politics/house-gop-max-miller-edwards
针对关键众议院选区共和党议员的一系列严重指控本周搅动了党内知情人士，加剧了共和党人的焦虑：他们可能会丢失原本被认为基本稳固的席位，并进一步危及自己的众议院多数党地位。
在中期选举前的关键最后几周，众议院议长迈克·约翰逊及其共和党竞选团队一直在试图化解包围着众议员马克斯·米勒（克利夫兰郊区）和众议员查克·爱德华兹（北卡罗来纳州西部）连任竞选的日益严峻的政治危机，但效果喜忧参半。周三上午，爱德华兹宣布不再寻求连任，此前众议院道德委员会建议对其进行谴责，并认定他对办公室的两名女性雇员行为不当。
据多位消息人士透露，鉴于更换全新候选人与民主党候选人角逐的时间非常紧迫，民主党人仍对拿下北卡罗来纳州这个席位抱有希望。
与此同时，尽管共和党高层和总统都担心米勒可能无法在特朗普以超过10个百分点优势获胜的选区胜出，但米勒仍公然承诺将继续参选。
这一切都发生在佛罗里达州中部的另一个现有问题之上：处境艰难的众议员科里·米尔斯仍在接受范围广泛的道德委员会调查。
包括约翰逊在内的共和党领导人迄今避免公开施压米勒退选。约翰逊在周二接受《政治报》采访时辩称，针对米勒的道德委员会调查需要按程序进行。但私下里，核心共和党人已竞相在力所能及的范围内控制事态损失，并焦虑地关注着米勒为自己公开辩护的举动——他们认为这会进一步危及他的连任前景。
一位关注米勒周二下午接受CNN主播杰克·塔珀采访的共和党策略师发消息称：“我的天，那到底是个什么玩意儿。”另一位国会山共和党助手发消息称：“我就感觉这事对他来说不会顺利，但实际情况比糟糕还要糟。彻头彻尾的灾难。”
在幕后，政党领导人曾试图说服爱德华兹他没有获胜可能——而党内知情人士私下希望米尔斯在本月晚些时候的初选中落败。
根据广告影响追踪机构AdImpact的数据，截至目前，众议院共和党人的主要竞选团队尚未预留任何广告时段，以在11月前支持这些现任议员。但很快，随着民主党投入的竞选经费不断增加，约翰逊及其团队将不得不做出决定：是否派遣关键的支援力量前往处境艰难的现任议员选区，以保住众议院多数党地位——即便这可能意味着损害本党整体形象。
与此同时，据多位熟悉内部讨论的人士透露，民主党人正在策划如何最大化这场丑闻带来的打击。尽管部分民主党议员急于快速推动投票将米勒逐出众议院，但民主党领导层更倾向于在11月的选举中击败他——而非帮助共和党解决候选人问题。
这两个席位对民主党而言都绝非轻松拿下的胜局。特朗普在俄亥俄州和佛罗里达州的这两个选区都以两位数优势获胜。但民主党人坚称，如果米勒继续参选且米尔斯赢得初选，他们就有机会翻转这两个选区。
关键摇摆选区的共和党现任议员们正面临多重压力。
米勒仍态度强硬
本周伊始，俄亥俄州的危机就迅速升级：作为特朗普的长期忠实支持者，米勒试图通过周日在X平台直播为自己正名，这反而让更多人关注到他虐待前妻艾米丽·莫雷诺的指控——艾米丽是参议员伯尼·莫雷诺的女儿。尽管米勒否认了这项指控，但这场混乱的家庭纠纷已经引起了总统本人的注意。
据CNN报道，特朗普私下认为，鉴于这些指控，米勒无法赢得这场竞选，但他在周一与米勒通话时并未直接要求米勒退选。
其他一些共和党人——包括参议员莫雷诺——已公开呼吁米勒退出竞选。众议院道德委员会也于周二宣布将对米勒展开调查，米勒此前曾呼吁启动该调查，称这是洗刷自己清白的机会。
但米勒在周二接受CNN的杰克·塔珀采访时态度强硬，拒绝终止其连任竞选。
“人们问我，你打算怎么做？你会退出这场竞选吗？你会辞职吗？你会在截止日期前退出吗？杰克，我的回答是不，”米勒说。
他还声称共和党领导人支持他的连任竞选：“议长迈克·约翰逊站在我这边……没有人让我退出竞选。这是因为他们知道我们能够赢得这个席位。”
另外，米勒在本周早些时候发给CNN的一份声明中表示：“我不会为了迎合舆论法庭而退选，以此认可那些虚假指控。我对所有针对我的指控都是无辜的。我在代表选民利益方面做得很好。我为什么要退选？”
米勒的民主党对手布莱恩·波因德克斯特是当地市议员、工会钢铁工人，他以民粹主义的竞选纲领赢得了温和派蓝狗民主党人和党内进步派的共同支持。
最近，他明确表示，米勒的行为将成为竞选期间的重点议题。
“如果所有针对米勒议员的指控都被证实属实，那么马克斯·米勒应该在监狱里，而不是担心保住自己的国会席位，”波因德克斯特在发给CNN的一份声明中说。
爱德华兹的竞选团队对调查结果提出异议，并坚称他“没有违反联邦性骚扰法”。
但在数小时内，众议院共和党领导人就开始私下劝说爱德华兹放弃连任竞选，CNN报道称。他们担心爱德华兹会让他们失去这个席位，尤其是在国会八月休会结束后，众议院预计将投票正式谴责爱德华兹。
周三凌晨，爱德华兹宣布不再寻求连任，这为当地共和党领导人提供了一个机会，可以挑选一名替代候选人与民主党候选人角逐。
爱德华兹退选后，共和党领导人现在可以选择一名新的候选人来参选该席位。
周三早些时候，爱德华兹宣布退选，这使得共和党领导人得以更换候选人，以应对民主党在该选区的攻势。
第三位共和党议员：佛罗里达州的科里·米尔斯
第三位共和党议员，佛罗里达州的众议员科里·米尔斯，长期以来一直处于调查的阴影之下，包括众议院道德委员会的调查。
去年，有消息称米尔斯因涉嫌袭击他人而接受华盛顿特区警方调查，共和党人对其参选资格的担忧急剧上升。米尔斯从未被逮捕，并否认有任何不当行为。
众议院道德委员会正在调查针对他的指控，并于五月份宣布，它已经“授权发出了20多份传票，收集了数千份文件，并约谈了数十名证人”，以审查米尔斯“可能违反了各种规则、法律或其他行为标准”的指控。
目前尚不确定米尔斯是否会出现在选票上。私下里，一些共和党高层人士希望米尔斯在8月18日的共和党初选中落败，他的对手是前当地新闻主播瑞安·伊利亚。
米尔斯上个季度仅筹集了6万美元，而伊利亚则筹集了约30万美元。与此同时，民主党在该选区的热门候选人、海军退伍军人、前NASA官员贝尔·道尔顿筹集了近50万美元。
民主党人认为，如果米尔斯赢得初选，那么他们就有机会在该选区获胜。
“每个人都有一个或三个首要关注的问题。我为什么要让一个连我都没法跟孩子谈论的人代表我，因为他对女性实施暴力？”道尔顿在最近的一次采访中告诉CNN。
米尔斯则表示，他完全预计民主党对手会利用道德调查问题攻击他，称“他们显然会再次利用这一点，这就是政治，对吧？”
“显然，他们会继续利用这些指控来攻击我们，”米尔斯说。
CNN的大卫·赖特、伊桑·科恩和黛安·加拉格尔为本报道贡献了内容。
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/politics/house-gop-scandals-battleground-seats.html
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/04/politics/video/rep-max-miller-responds-abuse-allegations-amid-pressure-drop-out-race
House GOP anxiety spikes as scandals pile up in critical battleground seats
2026-08-05T17:05:39.600Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/politics/house-gop-max-miller-edwards
A series of serious allegations against GOP congressmen in key House districts have rattled party insiders this week, fueling Republicans’ anxiety that they could lose seats once considered mostly safe and further endanger their majority.
In the crucial final weeks before the midterms, Speaker Mike Johnson and his GOP campaign arm have sought to defuse mounting political crises engulfing the reelection bids of Rep. Max Miller in the suburbs of Cleveland as well as Rep. Chuck Edwards in western North Carolina with mixed results. On Wednesday morning, Edwards announced he would no longer seek re-election after the House Ethics Committee recommended a censure for him and found he acted inappropriately toward two female staffers in his office.
Democrats are still hopeful about the North Carolina seat given the short runway for a brand-new candidate to contest their own nominee, according to multiple sources.
Miller, meanwhile, has defiantly pledged to stay in the race despite concerns from top GOP officials and the president that he may not be able to win in a district Trump won by more than 10 points.
All of this on top of their existing problem in central Florida with embattled Rep. Cory Mills who is still facing a wide-ranging ethics committee probe.
Republican leaders, including Johnson, have so far avoided publicly pressuring Miller to step aside. In an interview with Politico Tuesday, Johnson argued the ethics panel investigation into Miller needed to take its course. But privately, key Republicans have raced to contain damages where they can and have anxiously watched Miller’s effort to publicly defend himself, which they believe is imperiling his re-election even further.
One GOP strategist watching Miller’s interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper Tuesday afternoon texted, “I mean what the absolute f*** was that.” Another GOP aide on the Hill texted, “I had a feeling this wouldn’t go well for him, but it’s actually much worse than bad. epic disaster.”
Behind the scenes, party leaders worked to convince Edwards he couldn’t win – and privately, party insiders are hoping Mills loses in a primary battle later this month.
So far, the House GOP’s main campaign groups haven’t reserved any airtime to back up any of the incumbents through November, according to AdImpact data. But soon, as Democratic spending grows, Johnson and his team will have to decide whether to send critical cavalry to their embattled incumbents for the sake of their majority – even if it could mean tarnishing their own party’s broader brand.
Democrats, meanwhile, are plotting how to maximize the pain, according to multiple people familiar with internal discussions. While some of their members are eager to quickly force votes to expel Miller from the House, leadership prefers to beat him in November – rather than helping Republicans solve their candidate problems.
Neither of the seats would be easy wins for Democrats. Trump won by double digits in both the Ohio and Florida districts. Yet Democrats insist they have a serious chance of flipping them if Miller stays in and Mills wins his primary.
“These are members who don’t care about representing their communities, they have poor temperament, bad judgment and it really calls into questions if they are fit to serve at all,” Rep. Suzan DelBene, who leads the House Democrats’ campaign arm, said in a recent interview before Edwards exited the race.
Miller remains defiant
Republicans started out the week with a rapidly escalating crisis in Ohio, as Miller — a long-time Trump loyalist — sought to clear his name by broadcasting live on X Sunday, bringing more attention to allegations that he abused his ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno. While Miller has denied the allegation, the messy family dispute has drawn attention from the president himself.
Trump privately does not believe that Miller can win the race given the accusations, though he did not tell Miller directly to withdraw his name when the two spoke on Monday, CNN has reported.
Some other Republicans — including Sen. Moreno — have called publicly for Miller to exit the race. The House Ethics Committee also said Tuesday it would investigate Miller, a step the congressman had called for, saying it would be a chance to clear his name.
But the congressman was defiant in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, refusing to end his reelection bid.
“People have asked me, what are you going to do? Are you going to drop out of this race? Are you going to resign? Are you going to get out before the deadline? And my answer to you, Jake, is no,” Miller said.
And he claimed that GOP leaders were backing his reelection fight: “Speaker Mike Johnson is standing behind me … No one has told me to get off the ballot. And that’s because they know we can win this seat.”
Separately, Miller told CNN in a statement earlier this week, “I will not validate false claims by removing myself just to please the court of public opinion. I am innocent of all of the allegations that have been attributed to me. I have done well representing my constituent’s interests. Why would I drop out?”
Miller’s Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, a local council man and union ironworker, has run on a populist record that’s made him a favorite of both moderate Blue Dogs and the party’s progressive wing.
More recently, he’s made clear that Miller’s actions will be a focus during the campaign.
“If all the allegations against Congressman Miller prove to be true, Max Miller should be in jail, not worried about retaining a seat in Congress,” Poindexter said in a statement to CNN.
Just as GOP leaders were privately scrambling to figure out how best to keep Miller’s suburban Cleveland seat, they learned of a scathing new ethics report that said Edwards had made unwanted advances toward two young women in his office.
Edwards’ campaign disputed the findings and insisted he “did not violate federal sexual harassment law.”
But within hours, House Republican leaders began privately working to convince Edwards to abandon his reelection bid, CNN reported. They feared Edwards put them at risk of losing the seat, especially with the full House expected to vote to formally censure him when lawmakers return from their August recess.
Early Wednesday morning, Edwards announced he would not seek reelection, giving party leaders there an opportunity to now choose a replacement candidate to face off against Democrats’ candidate Jamie Ager, a farmer whose grandfather served in the US House and statehouse, and has been one of Democrats’ standout recruits of the cycle. Ager has been a prolific fundraiser and outraised Edwards nine to one in the most recent quarter.
Ager declined an interview request to talk about Edwards before he dropped out Wednesday.
A third Republican, Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, has been under a long-time cloud of investigations, including by the House ethics panel.
GOP fears over his electability spiked last year when news broke that Mills was under investigation by DC police for allegedly assaulting an individual. Mills was never arrested and has denied any wrongdoing.
The House Ethics Committee is probing allegations against him, and the panel announced in May that it had “authorized more than 20 subpoenas, collected thousands of documents and contacted dozens of witnesses” as it sought to review allegations Mills “may have violated various rules, laws or other standards of conduct.”
It’s not yet certain that Mills will be on the ballot, either. Privately, some top Republicans are hopeful that Mills will lose his GOP primary on August 18, where he faces former local news anchor Ryan Elijah.
Mills raised just $60,000 last quarter, compared to Elijah’s roughly $300,000. Meanwhile, Democrats’ prized recruit in the race, Navy veteran and former NASA official Bale Dalton, brought in nearly a half-million.
“Each individual has one or three issues that is top of mind. Why would I want someone representing me in Congress who I can’t even talk to my kids about because of the violence against women?” Dalton told CNN in a recent interview.
Mills, for his part, said he fully expected his Democratic opponent to hit him on the ethics investigation, saying his district has “always been a key target.”
“Obviously they’re going to always try and utilize it again. That’s politics right?” Mills said. He said he expected his ethics investigation to conclude “pretty soon” but suggested it may not be the last headache. “You are going to continue to have this political whack a mole. You dispel one thing, another one pops up.”
CNN’s David Wright, Ethan Cohen and Dianne Gallagher contributed
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/04/politics/video/rep-max-miller-responds-abuse-allegations-amid-pressure-drop-out-race
2025年9月23日，美国华盛顿特区司法部大楼外的标识被投下阴影。路透社/凯文·拉马克 购买授权许可，将在新标签页中打开