Brian Poindexter grew up the son of a union machinist in Cleveland, one of six kids in a household where work ethic was non-negotiable. By junior year of high school, he was clocking 70-hour weeks between school, sports, and overnight shifts at a local job. After graduation, he skipped college, landed an apprenticeship at Ironworkers Local 17, and eventually earned his associate's degree through night classes while working full-time.
Now, after five terms as a Brook Park councilman and years as an apprenticeship instructor, Poindexter is running for Congress in Ohio's 7th District. His opponent is Max Miller, a Trump loyalist and former White House aide who won the seat in 2022 and has become one of the former president's most vocal congressional defenders.
The matchup pits two vastly different Ohio stories against each other. Poindexter is betting that voters in a district trending Republican will respond to a candidate who embodies working-class values. Miller, whose grandfather was a major real estate developer, has built his record around Trump's agenda and cultural grievances.
When Miller first ran for the seat four years ago, he hammered on inflation and the economy. Those same issues remain central to his messaging. But Poindexter is framing the economic conversation differently. "People are working harder and harder. We're getting less and less and we're getting more and more of the burden," he said. "I'd like to see an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy."
The race reflects a broader Democratic strategy to reclaim the House majority. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted Ohio's 7th District as one of three winnable seats statewide, despite the district's Republican lean. The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates it plus-5 for Republicans.
Poindexter's primary challenge is significant. He faces seven other Democratic candidates, including former Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald and former Olmsted Falls Mayor Ann Marie Donegan. The primary is set for May 5.
On Miller's record, Poindexter's criticism is sharp. Miller voted against the PRO Act, a landmark labor law reform bill. According to the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in America, Miller holds a lifetime voting score of just 14% on worker-friendly issues like wage protections, benefits, and jobs. Miller also authored a bill to make gambling losses tax deductible, a proposal Poindexter views as tone-deaf to struggling families.
"It just shows how out of touch he is with what people are going through," Poindexter said.
He's also made accessibility a central complaint, arguing that Miller is rarely seen in the district for town halls or constituent meetings. "He doesn't really show up to engage with constituents," Poindexter said. "People have told me during this run that they've called his office and they don't even get a response."
Poindexter represents a wave of labor-backed candidates challenging Republican incumbents heading into 2026. Similar races are unfolding in Montana with a union leader for U.S. Forest Service workers, Minnesota with a flight attendant union member, and Pennsylvania with a firefighter union leader. The pattern reflects organized labor's determination to fight for House seats in regions where unions historically held power.
Miller's path to Congress three years ago relied on Trump's endorsement and his willingness to embrace false claims about the 2020 election. He also attacked his Republican predecessor, Anthony Gonzalez, as a traitor for voting to impeach Trump after January 6. Those moves cemented Miller's standing with the Trump base, but they've also defined his tenure in ways that may alienate swing voters.
The congressman's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Author James Rodriguez: "Poindexter's working-class authenticity is a sharp contrast to Miller's inherited privilege, but Ohio's 7th leans Republican for a reason - and a crowded Democratic primary could fracture the anti-Miller vote before the general election even begins."
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