--- title: Florida Rep. Cory Mills Loses Primary After Scandal-Filled Campaign description: Despite Trump’s endorsement, Mills was unable to escape his long history of controversy. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/08/18/florida-rep-cory-mills-loses-primary-after-scandal-filled-campaign/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-08-19T01:50:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T19:31:50.483Z article:section: Politics og:title: Florida Rep. Cory Mills Loses Primary After Scandal-Filled Campaign og:description: Despite Trump’s endorsement, Mills was unable to escape his long history of controversy. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/08/18/florida-rep-cory-mills-loses-primary-after-scandal-filled-campaign/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt54c11006f4c14d21/6a84d7d7a4135aba59915c3b/GettyImages-2273136138.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2273136138.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Florida Rep. Cory Mills Loses Primary After Scandal-Filled Campaign twitter:description: Despite Trump’s endorsement, Mills was unable to escape his long history of controversy. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt54c11006f4c14d21/6a84d7d7a4135aba59915c3b/GettyImages-2273136138.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Florida Rep. Cory Mills Loses Primary After Scandal-Filled Campaign > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: David Jolly and Byron Donalds Will Compete in Florida Governor Race After Primary Wins [Watch (HLS stream): David Jolly and Byron Donalds Will Compete in Florida Governor Race After Primary Wins](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gfUIi8CO.m3u8) (2:25)  _Published 2026-08-19. Despite Trump’s endorsement, Mills was unable to escape his long history of controversy._  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Aug 19, 2026 1:50 AM UTC  Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., attends the House Armed Services Committee hearing titled "Department of Defense FY2027 Budget Request," in Rayburn building on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., attends the House Armed Services Committee hearing titled "Department of Defense FY2027 Budget Request," in Rayburn building on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Cal  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Aug 19, 2026 1:50 AM UTC [Florida](https://time.com/article/2026/04/01/florida-democrat-republican-midterm-emily-gregory/) Rep. [Cory Mills](https://time.com/article/2026/04/21/cory-mills-expel-nancy-mace-house-congress-allegations-explainer/), the incumbent representing the state’s 7th District, lost his Republican primary on Tuesday to former TV anchor Ryan Elijah after a controversial campaign for a third term in Congress. President Donald Trump notably [gave](https://x.com/CoryMillsFL/status/2089677981417341434?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet) Mills his “Complete and Total Endorsement” on Feb. 10, when he wrote a social media post describing the candidate as “an America First Patriot.” But it didn’t seem to outweigh ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct, accusations of mishandling campaign finances, and questions about his military record. **Read More:** [_Trump Says Voters Are Angry With Republicans—But Not With Him. Here’s What Polls Show_](https://time.com/article/2026/08/07/trump-republicans-polls-approval-rating-midterms-economy-iran-war/) “Whether \[Mills\] wants it to be or not, obviously the allegations against him have become the defining thing that people are talking about,” says Kevin Wagner, professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University. “The president's endorsement is powerful,” he says, “but it doesn't prevent voters from making a calculation on what they think of him individually in that seat.” ## The controversies that came to define Cory Mills’s campaign Going into the primary, the latest [polling](https://www.scribd.com/document/1074426712/Poll-of-CD-7) showed Elijah with 44% of the vote, while 27% backed Mills and 19% remained undecided. That meant there was no assured winner heading into Tuesday, Wagner says, with the number of undecided voters suggesting a lot of “volatility” in the race. Incumbents are often the strong frontrunners in re-election campaigns for Congress, but Mills has been embroiled in a string of scandals in the past year. Last October, there was a [court-issued injunction](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/cory-mills-restraining-order-florida-00608307) against him after a former girlfriend accused Mills of threatening to release explicit videos of her. The judge found that the woman in question, Lindsay Langston, provided evidence in support of her claim that Mills caused "substantial emotional distress." He wrote in his ruling that he did not find Mills's "testimony concerning the intimate videos to be truthful." In a separate incident in February 2025, D.C. police responded to a report that Mills had assaulted a woman with whom he was in a relationship. The woman later [retracted her account](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/02/24/congress/cory-mills-denies-assault-allegations-00205873), according to _Politico_, and police did not charge Mills. In November 2025, the House Ethics Committee [opened](https://ethics.house.gov/press-releases/statement-of-the-chairman-and-ranking-member-of-the-committee-on-ethics-regarding-representative-cory-mills-4/) an investigation into Mills. Its review included allegations of sexual misconduct, as well as allegations that he [may have](https://conduct.house.gov/investigation/24-2323) "omitted or misrepresented required information in his financial disclosure statements." The Committee emphasized that the investigation itself did [not indicate](https://ethics.house.gov/press-releases/statement-of-the-chairman-and-ranking-member-of-the-committee-on-ethics-regarding-representative-cory-mills-4/) that any violation had occurred, and Mills has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Mills's military record also came under [scrutiny](https://www.notus.org/congress/cory-mills-iraq-bronze-star) when several veterans disputed the account provided in his recommendation for a Bronze Star, which he was awarded in 2021 for his actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003\. In 2025, five individuals who served with him claimed that they did not recall his presence at the incidents for which he was awarded the medal. According to _NOTUS_, Mills attributed the discrepancies to differing recollections amid the chaos of wartime. His campaign was hurt further this month after two of his fellow incumbent lawmakers in the state, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, endorsed Elijah. Then, last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters that he does not support Mills. “I have not endorsed Cory Mills and I do not support Cory Mills,” he [said](https://www.c-span.org/clip/news-conference/gov-desantis-says-he-doesnt-support-rep-cory-mills-reelection-bid/5204410). Trump also appeared to distance himself last week when he reposted endorsements for all of the Republicans up for election in Congress on Truth Social—except Mills. David Jolly and Byron Donalds Will Compete in Florida Governor Race After Primary Wins ## What to know about Florida’s 7th District race in November While the 7th District will likely stay red in November, attention is turning to how Florida’s redrawn congressional map could reshape its midterm races. The new map, signed into law by DeSantis in May 2026, redrew 21 of the state’s 28 districts, looking to reduce the number of Democratic-leaning districts from eight to four—affecting Democratic incumbents like Kathy Castor in Tampa, as well as Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Mokowitz in South Florida. While District 7 was not radically redrawn, Aubrey Jewett, professor of political science at the University of Central Florida, says that since this new map favors Republicans, flipping the 7th District could help offset any losses elsewhere in the state. Elijah will go up against Democratic candidate and military veteran Bale Dalton in November, who is [endorsed](https://dccc.org/the-right-candidate-pete-buttigieg-endorses-bale-dalton-in-recognition-of-lifelong-public-service-career/) by Pete Buttigieg. Jewett says Dalton could be a viable candidate. And if Dalton were to win, he says: “That might help not only the Florida congressional delegation pick up a Democratic seat, but of course, yeah, maybe at the national level, might offset some of these losses that they're expecting.” Current [polling and election forecasts](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5968556-ddhq-midterm-election-forecast/) [show](https://time.com/article/2026/08/04/midterm-elections-republicans-democrats-polls-economy-trump/) that Democrats are favored to take back the majority in the House of Representatives in November, which would be consistent with an existing pattern where the sitting President’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections. ## Transcript There is a new coalition emerging in American politics tonight, and it's starting right here in the state of Florida, a coalition rooted in the everyday majority that understands the economy should continue to grow. But it's got to grow for everybody. That we embrace capitalism, that we let the private sector lead. But the government needs to do its part to fill in the gaps, to provide for housing, for health care, for education, clean water, clean air, safe communities, and a coalition that knows that everybody's rights should be protected. This majority also understands tonight, sadly, that we are a nation that is broken. We are a nation in crisis. We are more divided than ever before. Our leaders wake up every day and they tell us they hate each other and it's wrong. An affordable Florida starts with a limited government that respects hardworking taxpayers who fund it. Under my watch, every contract, every budget, and every fee this state spends will be posted online, out in the open where you can see it. We are going to continue the Department of Government Efficiency that was started here in Florida under governor DeSantis. As your governor, we are going to doge all local governments and all state agencies. There will be there will be no sacred cows to. Taxpayers deserve to know that their hard earned dollars are being spent efficiently, transparently and with total integrity. But in 77 days, Florida, we face a critical choice. In November, we will be facing off against liberal David Jolly. Oh, I see you've heard of him. Well, let me tell you some more. David Jolly is a career political insider, a Washington lobbyist casting checks for special interests, and an MSNBC commentator who was part of the very revolving door he claims he'd clean up. David Jolly represents everything that folks hate about Washington, D.C. liberal David Jolly is the change that Florida cannot afford. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/08/18/florida-rep-cory-mills-loses-primary-after-scandal-filled-campaign/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/08/18/florida-rep-cory-mills-loses-primary-after-scandal-filled-campaign/"},"headline":"Florida Rep. 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