Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) faces a potentially difficult reelection contest following allegations of domestic violence, stolen valor, and financial impropriety, leaving the two-term Florida lawmaker’s political future anything but guaranteed.
Mills will face former news anchor Ryan Elijah, along with two others, for the Republican nomination to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District. Recent polling shows Elijah leading just days before Tuesday’s primary.
“Florida is Florida,” GOP strategist Dennis Lennox told the Washington Examiner. “This is where weird things happen. But many of the Sunshine State’s biggest Republican names have either officially or unofficially lined up behind Ryan Elijah.”
“There seems to be real concern about Mills and what could happen in November, especially in a bad national environment for Republicans,” Lennox continued. “The last thing Republicans want is to spend money defending a Florida seat.”
Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) publicly took sides in the election, endorsing Elijah over Mills.
“We need leaders in Congress who serve with integrity, energy, and an unwavering commitment to the people who sent them there,” the Florida Republicans wrote. “Ryan Elijah is that leader. We are confident he will represent our shared values with distinction and deliver results for the families of Seminole and Volusia Counties. We wholeheartedly endorse Ryan Elijah and urge our fellow Republicans to join us in supporting him.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) also weighed in on the race by decidedly not endorsing Mills.
“I have not endorsed Cory Mills and I do not support Cory Mills,” DeSantis said during a press conference. The governor did not endorse Elijah or any other candidate.
President Donald Trump endorsed the embattled congressman at the beginning of this year, but has since steered clear of Mills. The president has issued repeated endorsements for Florida candidates on social media, but left Mills out of the mix.
The most recent Capitol Strategic Partners poll, conducted Aug. 14 and 15, had Elijah leading 44% to Mill’s 27%. When reminded of Mill’s ethics allegations, the split widened 48% to 20%, marking a shift from Mills’s modest lead earlier this month.
Mills is running for a third term for a seat that Democrats have labeled as “in play” amid his slew of allegations. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the seat from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.”
Democrats are hoping for Navy veteran and former NASA chief of staff Bale Dalton to get through the party’s primary, but he first faces former Rep. Alan Grayson, a perennial candidate in Florida elections. Democratic operators believe Dalton would make the seat competitive if Mills prevails in his primary.
HERE ARE THE 10 OLDEST MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RUNNING FOR REELECTION
A primary loss for Mills would likely make the seat a more difficult lift for Democrats in the fall.
The Ethics Committee’s investigation said it would look into a myriad of allegations against Mills, including that he violated campaign finance laws, improperly received gifts and special favors, misused congressional resources, and committed sexual misconduct or dating violence. Mills has denied any wrongdoing.