Has questionable MAGA behavior become a new norm?

Sometimes you have to do a double take on American politics 2026.

At first glance, a Republican congressman getting support from Republican leaders for reelection is nothing out of the ordinary. 

But a second look reveals that Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) has that backing, despite being accused of physically abusing his ex-wife, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio).

His ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Grisham, the former Trump White House press secretary, similarly accused him of abuse and filed for a restraining order.

Most disturbingly, Miller’s ex-wife alleges that he physically abused their two-year-old daughter, including in one instance in which she says he broke the child’s collarbone. Moreno has said Miller is a “danger to his daughter” and that he “holds his breath” every time Miller is around his granddaughter.

Incredibly, Miller still has Republican backing. Neither President Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R- La.) nor the chair of the Republican National Committee, Joe Gruters, have withdrawn their support for Miller.

Here is another reason to do a double taks: The Republican nominee for governor of Colorado, Victor Marx, claims to have killed a person in his youth and refuses to say whether that was the only time he killed someone.

As a Los Angeles Times piece put it: “When Victor Marx was 3 years old, he was forced into a voodoo ritual involving a beheaded cat. At age 7, he killed a man…”

Also, he claims to have rescued 45,000 captives, both children and women, from abuse. He says he “called in a U.S. military airstrike that killed 70 ISIS fighters.” He also claims to have “exorcised demons — and can do so over the telephone, he says, if need be,” according to the Times........

© The Hill