Republican Rep. Cory Mills has been projected to lose his Florida primary, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), handing President Trump a notable defeat in a race where his endorsement proved insufficient to overcome a cloud of ethical scrutiny.
Ryan Elijah, a former television reporter, bested Mills and two other GOP contenders in Tuesday's contest. Elijah's campaign received a significant boost from two of Mills's own Florida House Republican colleagues — Reps. Mike Haridopolos and Anna Paulina Luna — who broke ranks to support the challenger.
Ethics probe and allegations
Mills's downfall comes amid an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of dating violence and campaign finance violations. The lawmaker has faced bipartisan calls for his resignation or expulsion, with critics pointing to a pattern of troubling behavior.
In recent months, a former girlfriend obtained a restraining order against Mills for harassment, and another woman he was dating contemporaneously initially reported a domestic assault in February 2025 before recanting. No criminal charges were filed. The Washington Post later obtained body camera footage from that incident showing the woman displaying bruises and marks to police.
Elijah now advances to the general election, where he will face Democrat Bale Dalton, a Navy veteran and former NASA chief of staff who led his own primary field. The Cook Political Report and DDHQ rate the district as "likely" to remain in Republican hands in November.
Trump's endorsement record stumbles
Mills's loss is the latest in a string of high-profile primary defeats for Trump-endorsed candidates. In recent weeks, his picks have also fallen in House primaries in Michigan and Tennessee, raising questions about the president's sway in contested races.
Democrats had been optimistic about their chances in the district had Mills won the nomination, given his vulnerabilities. Dalton has been added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" program and has attracted support from prominent Florida Democrats, including former Sen. Bill Nelson and Reps. Lois Frankel and Kathy Castor. New Jersey Gov. Mike Sherrill (D) has also endorsed Dalton.
Dalton has called on Mills to resign, labeling the allegations against him "disqualifying," according to the Florida Phoenix.
The race now shifts to a general election contest that, while rated as leaning Republican, could prove more competitive than initially expected given the dynamics of the primary and the ongoing attention on Mills's conduct.
