Trump's Endorsement of Mills Continues Amid Allegations and GOP Primary Race Update
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Trump — who backed Mills (R-Fla.) in February and never rescinded the endorsement even as the House Ethics Committee began looking into allegations of domestic assault, stolen valor and financial misconduct — claimed on Truth Social that “I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen. He thought he could win, so who can blame him?”
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NBC NewsRepublican Rep. Cory Mills has lost his primary in Florida, NBC News projects, amid a swirl of investigations and negative publicity and despite running with the backing of President Donald Trump.
Washington ExaminerMills is under a House Ethics Committee investigation over allegations of domestic violence and campaign finance law violations. Fellow Florida Republicans in the House, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, endorsed Elijah’s primary challenge against Mills while Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) refused to back the incumbent.
Fox NewsRep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., lost his bid for a third term representing the Sunshine State's 7th Congressional District as a House Ethics Committee investigation and alleged federal probe weighed down his candidacy.
New York TimesCory Mills Loses Republican Primary Amid Assault Allegations and Ethics Investigation Mr. 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 TV news anchor.
HuffPostPresident Donald Trump endorsed Mills for reelection in February, but has not mentioned him since. And in a list of endorsements for other Florida contests that Trump posted to his Truth Social account last Tuesday, Mills’ name did not appear.
BreitbartRep. Cory Mills (R-FL) has fallen to local newscaster Ryan Elijah in Tuesday evening’s Republican primary for Florida’s Seventh Congressional District, marking an upset for the controversial two-term congressman.
The Daily WireMills nevertheless entered the primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, which the president handed to him in February. Trump’s support came despite the controversies surrounding Mills, although the president did not publicly campaign for him in the final days of the primary.
The HillTrump says he told Mills to exit race before primary loss President Trump said Wednesday he told Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) to abandon his reelection bid before he lost his district’s GOP primary. “I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He thought he could win, so who…
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Last year, Mills was investigated over allegations he assaulted a 27-year-old woman. The charge was later dropped, but Mills was accused later that year of threatening to release nude images and videos of his ex-girlfriend after she broke up with him.
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New York PostMills, an Army veteran, has denied any wrongdoing. In February 2025, the DC Metropolitan Police Department investigated accusations that he had assaulted a female Republican activist at his penthouse. Mills stressed that she later retracted aspects of her complaint.
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Elijah is set to face off against Democrat Bale Dalton in the general election contest. Trump carried the seat by 13 points in 2024.
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The Daily WireElijah will now face Democratic nominee Bale Dalton in November. Democrats have identified the district as a potential pickup opportunity, although the heavily Republican seat remains expected to favor the GOP.
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With more than 80% of the expected vote counted, Elijah had 46% of the GOP primary vote to 34% for Mills.
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The Daily WireMills, a two-term incumbent, faced Elijah, a former television journalist; businesswoman Sarah Ulrich; and veteran Michael Don Johnson in the GOP primary. With roughly 84% of the vote reported, Elijah led with 46.9% of the vote, followed by Mills with 34.4%, according to preliminary results. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 7:53 p.m. ET.
BreitbartThe Associated Press (AP) called the race for Elijah shortly after 8:00 p.m. with about 80 percent of the vote counted. As of 9:00 p.m., Elijah had 47.1 percent of the vote over Mills’ 34.3 percent, with 97 percent of the votes counted.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 New York Post “We now have a great candidate, Ryan Elijah, running in his place! Ryan stands for EVERYTHING MAGA, and is respected by ALL,” Trump added. “He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
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02 Washington Examiner “We now have a great candidate, Ryan Elijah, running in his place!” Trump continued. “Ryan stands for EVERYTHING [Make America Great Again], and is respected by ALL. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
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03 Fox News President Donald Trump's endorsement was not enough to save one scandal-plagued Florida congressman on Tuesday night, as the 2026 primary season took the head of yet another House incumbent.
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04 NBC News Mills is the 11th House member to lose a primary so far this year, an unusually high number. Seven Democrats and four Republicans have lost their bids for renomination.
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05 Breitbart Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) won the Republican nomination to succeed DeSantis on Tuesday night, prompting Elijah to voice his support for helping him win the general election in November:
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06 HuffPost Lindsey Langston, who was crowned Miss United States in October 2024, told police Mills sent threatening messages after she ended their three-year relationship.
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07 The Daily Wire Decision Desk HQ projects Ryan Elijah wins the Florida US House 7 Republican Primary#DecisionMade: 7:53 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/TvJjVyAgSK
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