Sipping on an iced caramel latte with whipped cream and talking about “squadding up” with his daughters on Fortnite, Brian Poindexter doesn’t necessarily fit the stereotype of a “manly man,” which is how another magazine characterized the congressional candidate in mid-July.
asserted
magazine → sip → July
For what it’s worth, it’s his political opponent, Republican Rep. Max Miller, who recently testified about taking testosterone and frequenting half-a-dozen different gyms.
asserted
who → ’ → gyms
Whatever muscles Poindexter has, he confirms, are the result of 19 years spent placing rebar and erecting the steel skeletons of buildings, and before that, working as a cross-country mover for people with too much Ethan Allen furniture.
asserted
he → confirm → furniture
“I figured out what armoire is French for,” he told me at a coffee shop in late August.
asserted
he → figure → August
With a hearty catalogue of dad jokes, Poindexter is running for a seat representing northeastern Ohio as an inversion of Miller, an heir to a real estate fortune whose campaign has been overshadowed by serious domestic disputes in his personal life.
asserted
campaign → run → life
So despite being divorced himself, Poindexter is positioning himself as a family man who has paid his dues helping his blue-collar community of Brook Park as a city council member for the past nine years.
asserted
who → divorce → years
He begins our interview by telling me about his kids: His oldest daughter is 25.
asserted
daughter → begin → kids
She works in accounting, and is—he’s excited to share—newly engaged.
asserted
he → work → accounting
He has another daughter who is 19, a college sophomore studying nursing.
asserted
who → have → nursing
(By the way, did I know the Trump administration tried to remove nursing from the professional degree list?
asserted
administration → know → list
Nurses are very much professionals,” he said.)
asserted
he → say → ?
Poindexter’s long-term partner (he got divorced in 2022) also has a high-schooler whom Poindexter calls his “bonus daughter.”
asserted
Poindexter → divorce → whom
“Everyone knows me as a father of two daughters, but I want to make sure I include her because she’s a good kid and I’m proud of her too,” said Poindexter.
asserted
Poindexter → know → her
I haven’t met them, but I’ve seen them star in an advertisement for their dad.
asserted
them → meet → dad
They call him “dorky,” make fun of his dance moves, and thank him for being a present community member and parent.
asserted
They → call → him
“He always shows up… For family dinner.
asserted
He → show → dinner
For help with homework—even when he’s not helpful,” the three girls say, laughing.
asserted
girls → ’ → homework
It is an unsubtle rebuke of Miller, whose ex-wife, Emily Moreno, has accused him of throwing boiling water at her, holding a gun against her head, and shoving her against a wall.
asserted
wife → accuse → wall
According to court filings Mother Jones reported on extensively in July, some of these alleged incidents occurred in front of their child.
uncertain
some → accord → child
The documents also showed that Moreno was worried that Miller could have caused their two-year-old’s broken collarbone.
uncertain
Miller → show → collarbone
She told police their daughter was in Miller’s custody when the injury happened.
asserted
injury → tell → custody
Child abuse investigators said the bruising near the injury resembled a “handprint,” making the injury “suspicious.”
asserted
injury → say → handprint
Miller had previously been accused of slapping a girlfriend, and pushing a girl down the stairs while in high school.
asserted
Miller → accuse → school
Accusations that would give many parents pause.
asserted
that → give → pause
Miller has repeatedly denied having ever been violent towards women or his child, and the investigation into possible child abuse was ultimately “unsubstantiated.”
asserted
investigation → deny → abuse
But for a moment, over the summer, the series of allegations seemed like they might force him out of the race.
uncertain
they → seem → race
His former father-in-law and fellow Ohio Republican, Sen. Bernie Moreno, said Miller “should not serve in the House of Representatives” and that he needed “serious psychological help.”
asserted
he → say → help
As evidence of Miller’s alleged depravity, Sen. Moreno accused Miller of withholding a stuffed animal from a toddler.
asserted
Moreno → allege → toddler
“My granddaughter, she has a little blue bunny that she sleeps with.
asserted
she → have → that
Max would not hand over the little blue bunny.
asserted
Max → hand → bunny
Literally held it hostage for 48 hours,” Moreno told reporters.
asserted
Moreno → hold → reporters
“This girl is crying at night because she can’t sleep without her little blue bunny.
asserted
she → cry → bunny
And his answer is, ‘I’m just not going to give it to you.’”
asserted
I → go → you
(Miller called Moreno’s characterization “lies,” but Mother Jones obtained texts showing there were multiple incidents in which Miller withheld the stuffed animal.
asserted
Miller → call → animal
When Miller declined to drop out in time for another Republican to replace him on the ballot, Cook Political Report shifted the race from “likely Republican” to “toss-up” in a region that Trump and Miller both won handily in 2024.
asserted
Trump → decline → 2024
The odds were suddenly looking much better for Poindexter, who had launched his long-shot campaign out of the garage of his buddy-turned-campaign-manager.
asserted
who → look → buddy
Though far from an indication of how people in the district tend to vote, Polymarket shows 89 percent of wagerers think Poindexter will win.
asserted
Poindexter → tend → wagerers
A poll from early August showed Poindexter ahead of Miller by 8 points.
asserted
Poindexter → show → points
David Niven, a political science professor at the University of Cincinnati, called the race a “tremendous lesson in the importance of candidate quality.”
asserted
Niven → call → quality
“Republicans should be strong, and they have the most loathed incumbent in probably Ohio congressional history running on the Republican banner,” Niven said.
asserted
Niven → have → banner
…and 108 more, not listed.
The Aporia
