Longtime Ohio GOP House Rep Bows Out of Race, Putting Trump-Endorsed Max Miller in the Driver’s Seat

Longtime Ohio GOP House Rep Bob Gibbs announced today that he was retiring, rather than face a primary against Donald Trump-endorsed challenger Max Miller.

In a statement announcing his retirement, Gibbs blamed redistricting for his decision, calling it “effectively irresponsible to confirm the congressional map for this election cycle seven days before voting begins.”

As we previously reported, Miller had helped ensure that Rep Anthony Gonzalez didn’t run for re-election after he had voted to impeach Trump.

After Gonzalez announced his retirement, much of his district was added to Gibbs’ turf and Trump’s camp announced his endorsement of Miller would carry over to a primary against Gibbs.

Redistricting expert Dave Wasserman said of the news, “This could clear the way for Trump-endorsed former White House aide Max Miller (R) to win the newly drawn suburban Cleveland #OH07, which would’ve been 88% new to Gibbs anyway.”

This could clear the way for Trump-endorsed former White House aide Max Miller (R) to win the newly drawn suburban Cleveland #OH07, which would've been 88% new to Gibbs anyway. https://t.co/XhARVsNxrs

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) April 6, 2022

The predominantly rural congressional district that Gibbs previously represented was reshaped during this year’s redistricting process and now has been made more suburban by including many of Cleveland’s western suburbs.

Gibbs criticized the “long, drawn-out” court battles, “in which the Ohio Supreme Court can take weeks and months to deliberate while demanding responses and filings from litigants within days.”

It was noted, however, that although Gibbs is among the Ohio members of Congress who most frequently voted with Trump, he regularly collaborates with Democrats on matters of regional interest, such as preserving the Great Lakes.

Additionally, Gibbs teamed up with Democratic Ohio Rep Marcy Kaptur to introduce legislation that would forgive federal loans that hospitals and health care providers received during COVID because their revenue suffered from scaling back non-coronavirus services during the pandemic.