House Democrats’ campaign arm has opened an investigation into Democratic Rep.-elect Brian Poindexter of Ohio over an allegation of sexual harassment, according to CBS News and NBC News.
Poindexter won Ohio’s 7th Congressional District earlier this month, defeating Republican Rep. Max Miller, NBC News reported. CBS News described Miller as an embattled GOP incumbent going into last week’s elections.
The House Democratic campaign arm initiates an investigation into Democratic Rep.-elect Brian Poindexter following accusations that he made an inappropriate comment to a campaign staffer ahead of his victory in Ohio’s 7th District. https://t.co/C4HWqyD0K7
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 14, 2026
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Friday that it had hired an independent firm to investigate “any instance of inappropriate behavior, conduct interviews and gather the facts,” according to CBS News.
“The DCCC has been made aware of the allegations and takes them seriously,” the committee’s executive director, Julie Merz, said in a statement reported by CBS News.
NBC News reported that the investigation follows accusations that Poindexter made an inappropriate comment to a campaign volunteer before his victory. Neither outlet reported the specific wording of the comment.
Campaign calls it a compliment
Poindexter’s campaign characterized what happened as “an innocuous compliment to a volunteer,” according to CBS News.
“He heard later that it made her feel uncomfortable and he felt awful,” a campaign spokesperson said in a statement quoted by CBS News. “When Brian learned about this, we immediately began to work to get to the bottom of it with an outside HR firm. Neither Brian nor the campaign ever wants anyone to feel uncomfortable.”
Two Democratic PACs pull endorsements
According to CBS News, the DCCC learned of the allegation from two political action committees, the Blue Dog PAC and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC. The two groups said they were told of a report of alleged sexual harassment in the final days before the election, CBS News reported.
“We informed the DCCC and connected the individual with legal advocacy and support services so she could determine how she wanted to proceed,” the PACs said in a joint statement Friday, according to CBS News.
The PACs said the woman asked them not to disclose any details publicly because she did not want her identity to become public, CBS News reported. The groups said they have pulled their endorsements of Poindexter “pending the investigation being completed,” according to CBS News.
What comes next
Merz said the DCCC would have further comment once the independent investigation is complete, according to CBS News.
The probe comes as Congress grapples with how to overhaul the way it handles allegations of sexual misconduct, as numerous lawmakers have faced complaints, CBS News reported.
No findings have been released, and the allegation has not been substantiated by any investigation so far. Daily Beltway will update this story as the investigation proceeds.
Sources
- NBC News on X
- CBS News: Democrats investigating sexual harassment allegation against newly elected congressman Brian Poindexter
- NBC News: Democratic Rep.-elect Brian Poindexter faces investigation over sexual harassment allegation
Sources cited
Sources
- Original post: NBC News (@NBCNews) on X, Nov 13, 2026
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