Daily Beast: “We’re about to see how much a Trump endorsement is worth. The former president is taking aim at Republican defectors like Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who voted for impeachment after Donald Trump had given him a ride on Air Force One. What an ingrate, Trump railed at a late June rally, calling the 36-year-old congressman a ‘sellout’ and ‘fake Republican’ as the ex-president threw his endorsement in a crowded field to Max Miller, a 32-year-old former White House aide with a thin resume and a rap sheet that includes multiple charges in his home state of Ohio for assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. The most recent charge was in 2010 and related to a fight; Miller says he has since grown up and won’t be repeating those mistakes. Maybe so, but do Republicans really want to trade out two-term congressman Gonzalez, the son of Cuban immigrants and a former wide receiver at Ohio State before turning pro, for someone with the inexperience and background of Miller?”

“Until Gonzalez voted to impeach Trump, he was on the shortlist of Republicans to replace the retiring Rob Portman in next year’s Senate election. ‘He’s young, he’s a former NFL player, he’s telegenic, and he’s Hispanic,’ said Jacob Rubashkin with Inside Elections, a nonpartisan newsletter that covers House races. ‘In a universe where Donald Trump is not around, Gonzalez would be running for the Senate – but that’s not the universe we’re in. Impeachment turned that on its head.’ Trump’s chosen replacement to represent Ohio’s 16th District worked in the White House Office of Personnel Management, where he and several other twentysomethings from the campaign drew media attention for their partying and lack of qualifications. Under scrutiny, Miller removed from social media his claim that he was a Marine recruiter. He is a former Marine reservist.”