GOP Rep. Cory Mills loses his Florida primary amid investigations
Republican Representative Cory Mills lost his Florida primary election to challenger Ryan Elijah following a series of ethics and financial investigations. Despite receiving an endorsement from Donald Trump, Mills was unable to overcome the negative publicity surrounding his campaign.
Why it matters
The loss highlights the limits of Trump's endorsement power in local primaries and reflects a broader trend of high incumbent turnover in the 2024 election cycle.
Republican 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. Former television journalist Ryan Elijah captured the Republican nomination over Mills in Florida’s 7th District, a seat Trump carried by 12 percentage points in 2024. Democrats have hoped to make it competitive this fall, especially if Mills were on the ballot. With more than 80% of the expected vote counted, Elijah had 46% of the GOP primary vote to 34% for Mills. Unlike other incumbents who have fallen short this year for being on the wrong side of intraparty divides, Mills was defeated as he has been dogged by multiple investigations, including a House Ethics Committee probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations, as well as a Justice Department investigation into his finances.
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