Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker running for a Republican-leaning House seat in the Cleveland area, has emerged on the national stage as he seeks to oust embattled Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), who is confronting a series of damaging scandals over his personal life that have raised hopes of a Democratic upset in the November election.

On the campaign trail, Poindexter, a 47-year-old city councilman in Brook Park, has touted his blue-collar bona fides, donning a hard hat while speaking about his steadfast commitment to standing up for workers. “Whether I’m walking a beam or walking the halls of Congress,” he vowed at a May campaign rally, “I will never forget where I came from.”

His focus largely on cost-of-living and affordability issues, however, has raised curiosity among Jewish and pro-Israel activists about where he stands on a range of key Middle East policy questions that he has largely eschewed in his public campaign messaging.

Poindexter has called the Iran war “disastrous” and criticized Miller, a Jewish Republican with a pro-Israel record during his two terms in Congress, for endorsing the conflict “against the interests of every working family in” Ohio’s 7th District, where voters have strongly favored President Donald Trump. The insurgent Democrat has also targeted Miller over his failed efforts to pass legislation extending benefits to U.S. citizens serving in the Israeli military.

“He’s fighting for Israeli soldiers to get the benefits that our military members get,” Poindexter said at a campaign event, while commenting on his opposition to proposed increases to next year’s Pentagon budget. “Talk about doing two different things,” he observed of Miller, an advisor in Trump’s first administration. “Saying you’re running on an America First agenda, but what you support is another country’s military.”

“That’s not the America First that I believe in,” Poindexter added, saying the spending would be better used to support infrastructure development, healthcare and veterans affairs, among other domestic concerns.

Even as such rhetoric echoes the views promoted by several far-left critics of Israel who have scored wins in major elections this cycle, Poindexter has notably avoided weighing in with more specific details about his approach to the Jewish state, sowing speculation over his positioning on an increasingly divisive issue within the Democratic Party.

In recent weeks, some Jewish groups have reached out to Poindexter to seek clarity about his positions. Josh Kramer, the president and CEO of Ohio Jewish Communities, a statewide nonprofit advocacy group, said he recently met with Poindexter for a discussion about Jewish security concerns, rising antisemitism, U.S.-Israel relations and other “hot-button issues.”

“He demonstrated a willingness to speak and learn, because this is clearly not something he’s spent a lot of time on,” Kramer told Jewish Insider, adding that Poindexter “did not stake out any positions” on Israel during their introductory conversation.

In light of the meeting, though, Kramer expressed comfort with Poindexter’s campaign, predicting he would be “a strong representative of all constituents, including Jewish constituents.”

Late last week, meanwhile, Poindexter also received an endorsement from the Jewish Democratic Council of America — a sign the pro-Israel community is now more closely eyeing his campaign.

Halie Soifer, JDCA’s CEO, said in a statement that her group had chosen to back Poindexter “because he’s aligned with the priorities of Jewish voters” and if elected will “focus on making life more affordable for Ohioans, defending democracy and keeping our community safe.”

“Unlike Max Miller, Brian Poindexter will be a member of Congress that Jewish Americans can proudly support,” she added, calling the incumbent “an embarrassment, not just to Ohio but to Jewish Americans everywhere.”

Regarding his approach to Israel, Poindexter “supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, supports Israel’s security and will work to ensure peace and stability in the region,” she said, without sharing specifics.

Eric Synenberg, a Jewish Democratic state legislator in Cleveland who is backing Poindexter, told JI in an interview he believed the candidate would likely be a “standard, middle-of-the-road, moderate Democrat” when it comes to Israel.

“I think he’s going to be as fair as possible,” he added. “I know from talking to him that he’s not going to be someone out there stating U.S. funding should be cut off. His view is defense funding should continue,” he said. “I don’t think he wants to see American dollars used for continued war. If it’s defense — fine. Brian is realistic.”

Poindexter is also backed by J Street, the progressive Israel advocacy group. Tali deGroot, its vice president of political and digital strategy, told JI that the group was eager to help Poindexter beat Miller, dismissing the GOP incumbent as “an AIPAC-endorsed election denier facing serious domestic violence allegations.”

“Poindexter’s pro-peace, pro-Israel, pro-democracy values align squarely with J Street’s priorities,” she continued in a statement, “and we look forward to the work he’ll do as a truly representative voice for Ohio’s 7th District.”

A spokesperson for Poindexter’s campaign did not respond to multiple interview requests from JI.

His endorsements and campaign associations have hardly helped clarify where Poindexter stands on an ideological scale. He has reportedly been advised by Fight Agency, the trendy progressive consulting firm that has counted such top clients as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, among others from the far left. 

Still, Poindexter insists he is not a democratic socialist, like his most high-profile supporter, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), with whom he appeared at a campaign rally in Parma Heights a few months ago. In addition to Sanders, an early backer, Poindexter has claimed endorsements from progressive groups such as Our Revolution and the moderate Blue Dog PAC.

The diverse mix of supporters speaks, in part, to a desire among all corners of the Democratic Party to flip a House seat that had seemed to be unwinnable until Miller’s reelection was thrown into chaos amid allegations that he physically abused his ex-wife and young daughter. He has denied wrongdoing and has vowed to stay in the race — resisting calls from fellow Republicans, including his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), to step aside. 

Miller has said he plans to loan his campaign $1 million, highlighting a financial edge, even as he is increasingly vulnerable.

As Poindexter’s odds have improved in recent weeks, with The Cook Political Report now ranking the race a toss-up, his coalition underscores what experts call a heterodox campaign that defies easy categorization.

“He’s not somebody you can really fit into a box,” David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron, told JI. “He’s got some pretty progressive stances on healthcare” as well as LGBT rights. “But he’s somebody who more centrist folks feel comfortable with as well.”

Jeff Rusnak, a Democratic strategist in Cleveland who is not involved in the race, said that Poindexter in some ways owes a debt to the economic populism of former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), now seeking a return to office. “I’d put him a little more center, not far left,” Rusnak told JI, saying Poindexter “has done a very good job of appealing to a broad audience and independent voters.”

“Because of Miller’s baggage, Israel isn’t really a front and center issue,” he said, even as the district is home to a sizable Jewish constituency in Solon, a Cleveland suburb. Miller, 37, “has not handled this well, and it’s not going away,” he said of the congressman’s defiant response to the controversy surrounding his personal life.

Miller’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Zach Bannon, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a 

statement to JI that “Poindexter backs a radical far-left agenda that’s completely out of touch with northeast Ohio, and D.C. Democrats’ support won’t save him this fall.”

“Ohioans have a clear choice,” he added, claiming that “Max Miller will vote to stop socialist policies, and Bernie-bro Brian Poindexter will make them a reality.”

Synenberg, the state lawmaker who is supporting Poindexter, said he was initially skeptical of Miller when he first chose to run for office, citing a lack of experience. But he now feels that Miller’s “tenure in Congress was not horrible by any means.”

“Obviously, there’s another side to this story with his temper,” Synenberg told JI. “From what I understand about him actually doing the job, I think he surprised a lot of us. He was bipartisan, and would go to bat for northeast Ohio,” he added, noting that he and Miller, as fellow Jewish elected officials, have maintained an “open line of communication.”

Still, he argued that Poindexter is “the right person for the right moment in terms of knowing what it is to be truly blue collar and working class.”

“He’s really just an average normal guy,” Synenberg observed. “I think he’ll be a serious legislator and will represent his district well.”