Cory Mills Ousted From Congress in GOP Primary

U.S. Congressman Cory Mills lost his Republican primary election on Tuesday, finishing a distant second to former TV news anchor Ryan Elijah. Mills currently represents Florida’s 7th congressional district, which includes all of Seminole County and parts of Volusia County. Despite the endorsement of President Donald Trump, a long series of personal scandals appeared to sour Republicans in Florida’s 7th district to the two-term congressman. Elijah, meanwhile, was backed by former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and state senators Rachel Plakon and Tom Wright. He was also endorsed by the district’s two sheriffs: Seminole County’s Dennis Lamma and Volusia County’s Mike Chitwood. Cory Mills was investigated in 2025 for accusations of assault against a 27-year-old woman. Later that year he was accused by former Miss United States Lindsey Langston of threatening to release explicit videos of her after she ended their relationship. After initially giving Mills his endorsement, President Trump quickly told a very different story following Mills’ loss. “I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen,” Trump claimed. “He thought he could win, so who can blame him?” Trump went on to endorse Ryan Elijah in the general election. “I am humbled by the trust we received from Central Florida,” Elijah posted on Wednesday. “‘The people’ had their voices heard because we took the time to listen to them. I spoke with thousands of voters, often in their homes. While those new relationships helped carry us to victory, the long-established relationships with community leaders also played a major role. The courage so many leaders showed in supporting me against an incumbent made a tremendous difference.” In the general election Elijah will face Democrat Bale Dalton, who held off Marialana Kinter and Alan Grayson in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Libertarian Christopher Dennison is also campaigning for the seat. U.S. House of Representatives, Florida’s 7th District (Republican Primary): Ryan Elijah – 47.29% – 31,532 – ADVANCES TO GENERAL Michael Johnson – 8.10% – 5,406 Cory Mills (i) – 34.10% – 22,737 Sarah Ulrich – 10.50% – 7,004 Note: These results are as of 99% of ballots being counted, with fewer than 500 remaining to be counted per NBC News.