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Mills ousted in Florida
Republican Rep. Cory Mills lost his bid for a third term in Florida’s 7th Congressional District primary on Tuesday, with Ryan Elijah defeating the incumbent amid a House Ethics Committee investigation and allegations of assault and threatening behavior toward women that Mills denied.
“lost to Ryan Elijah, a former local Fox television news anchor”
The New York Times reported that Mills, who is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and has faced allegations of assault and threatening behavior toward women, lost to Ryan Elijah, a former local Fox television news anchor.
NBC News projected Elijah’s win as the result of a “swirl of investigations and negative publicity” that continued despite Mills running with the backing of President Donald Trump.
NBC News said the seat Trump carried by 12 percentage points in 2024, and with more than 80% of the expected vote counted, Elijah had 46% of the GOP primary vote to 34% for Mills.
Fox News described the outcome as President Donald Trump’s endorsement not being enough to save Mills, who lost to Elijah in a race for the Sunshine State’s 7th Congressional District while a House Ethics Committee investigation and alleged federal probe weighed down his candidacy.
Intraparty split and quotes
The primary fight split GOP allies, with President Trump endorsing Mills in February while Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos backed Elijah and urged new leadership.
The New York Times reported that “We need leaders in Congress who serve with integrity, energy, and an unwavering commitment to the people who sent them there,” Ms. Luna and Mr. Haridopolos wrote in a joint statement earlier this month expressing support for Mr. Elijah.
NBC News similarly said Elijah ran with support from prominent Florida Republicans and highlighted that Luna and Haridopolos took the rare step of endorsing against a House colleague, emphasizing Elijah’s character.
Fox News added that Rep. Nancy Mace led a failed bipartisan effort to censure Mills and threatened to push for his expulsion before later backing off, and she endorsed Elijah’s bid against the Florida lawmaker.
In the same reporting, Fox News said Elijah ran because the seat was vulnerable and on the verge of going to Democrats, quoting Elijah: “I would not have got in against an incumbent if I didn’t feel this seat was vulnerable and on the verge of going to Democrats,” Mr. Elijah said in a local debate.
What happens next
Elijah is set to face Democrat Bale Dalton, described as a military veteran and former NASA chief of staff, after Dalton won the Democratic primary on Tuesday.
“Bale Dalton, a military veteran who worked as a chief of staff at NASA, won the district’s Democratic primary on Tuesday”
The New York Times said Bale Dalton, a military veteran who worked as a chief of staff at NASA, won the district’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, and that his campaign has out-raised Mr. Elijah and Mr. Mills combined.
NBC News projected Dalton’s path as well, saying Bale Dalton, a former NASA official, is projected to win the Democratic primary.
The Hill reported that Cook Political Report and DDHQ forecast the race as “likely” to remain in Republican hands next Congress, even as Democrats were bullish about their chances in November if Mills had won.
NBC News also said Mills pulled in less than $900,000 through late July and that Elijah outspent Mills on ads—$82,000 to $12,000—while Mills repeatedly denied wrongdoing across the Ethics Committee probe and other investigations.