Vivek Ramaswamy, the billionaire businessman and Republican candidate for governor in Ohio, told a rally attendee last weekend that he is supporting “everyone up and down the ticket” when asked if he is backing embattled Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), according to an audio recording obtained by HuffPost.

Ramaswamy, who is in a tight race with Democratic candidate Amy Acton, has avoided taking a public stance on Miller’s candidacy, even as both of Ohio’s GOP senators have called on the two-term congressman to resign after his ex-wife last month accused him of child and domestic abuse.

In the audio recording, an attendee at a Ramaswamy campaign event in Columbus says he wants to thank Ramaswamy for “supporting Max Miller.” Ramaswamy responds: “I’m supporting everyone up and down the ticket.”

When the attendee then asks if Ramaswamy will “go out and campaign with” Miller, Ramaswamy tries to change the subject, asking the attendee where he lives and where he grew up.

Ramaswamy wraps up the exchange by suggesting support for Miller is key to keeping the GOP in power. “Look, my view is this is the most important election for preserving Republican control of the House, the Senate, and also protecting the Republican control of the state,” he tells the attendee. “If we compromise that, we’re done.”

Ramaswamy’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did Miller’s campaign. But HuffPost received an unsolicited statement from the Ohio Republican Party that tried to change the subject entirely.

“Ohio Republicans are focused on making life more affordable for working families,” said the state party chairman, Alex Triantafilou. “National Democrats are consumed by the Graham Platner damage control in Maine and Zohran Mamdani’s socialism in New York. We’ll let voters decide which party is serious.”

Acton’s campaign bashed Ramaswamy, saying his unwillingness to break with Miller is part of a larger pattern of failing to confront abuse.

“Vivek Ramaswamy stands side-by-side with creeps and abusers, from known Epstein associates to Max Miller,” said Addie Bullock, an Acton campaign spokeswoman. “He is a known scam artist who rips off families struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, spreads lies in his desperate ads, and attacks Dr. Acton for speaking out about being a survivor of child sex abuse. It’s clear — Ohioans cannot trust Vivek Ramaswamy.”

Ohio, which has shifted sharply towards Republicans since Donald Trump’s first presidential win in 2016, has become an unexpected battleground this election cycle. Acton is mounting a strong challenge to Ramaswamy, who cleared the field in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary with an endorsement from Trump following his departure from DOGE. Democrats are seriously contesting two GOP-held House seats, and former Sen. Sherrod Brown is in a toss-up race with GOP Sen. Jon Husted.

Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, has accused the Republican congressman of domestic abuse as part of a divorce and custody battle. Her father, Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, has called on Miller to drop his reelection bid and resign from office. Husted and Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) soon followed suit, also calling on Miller to pull out.

But Miller, who has denied the allegations against him, is staying put, and even loaning his campaign $1 million. Earlier this month, he asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate him in a thinly veiled attempt to resist calls for his resignation and to push his controversy past the November elections.

Republicans fear his decision will put his GOP-leaning seat at risk, with Democrat Brian Poindexter, a member of a local ironworkers’ union, mounting a strong challenge.

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