Florida Rep. Cory Mills lost his Republican primary Tuesday despite President Trump's endorsement, felled by a wave of scandals that included a judge's finding that he threatened to release explicit videos of an ex-girlfriend and an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation.

Former TV news anchor Ryan Elijah defeated Mills for the GOP nomination in Florida's 7th Congressional District, winning 46% to Mills' 34% with more than 80% of the vote counted, according to NBC News. Trump carried the district by 12 points in 2024, making Mills' loss a rare case of a Trump-endorsed incumbent falling in his own turf.

A cascade of allegations

Trump gave Mills a "Complete and Total Endorsement" back in February, but he later appeared to distance himself, leaving Mills out of a subsequent endorsement repost, according to ABC News. The House Ethics Committee opened a probe into Mills in November over sexual misconduct allegations and possible financial-disclosure violations. And in October, a judge issued a civil injunction after Mills' ex-girlfriend, Lindsay Langston, accused him of threatening to release explicit videos of her — finding that Mills caused her "substantial emotional distress" and calling his own testimony "not truthful."

"THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM HAVE BECOME THE DEFINING THING THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT."

That assessment came from Florida Atlantic University political science professor Kevin Wagner, describing how the scandals swallowed Mills' campaign, per ABC News. A separate February 2025 incident involved D.C. police responding to an assault report involving Mills, though the woman later retracted her account. The Justice Department also opened an investigation into his finances, reported in late July. And five veterans publicly disputed details of Mills' 2021 Bronze Star citation for his account of 2003 combat in Iraq; Mills has attributed the discrepancies to the chaos of wartime.

Money couldn't save him either. Mills raised nearly $900,000 through late July, roughly double Elijah's haul of about $450,000 — but Elijah heavily outspent him on advertising, $82,000 to Mills' $12,000, according to NBC News.

The party turns away

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was blunt about where he stood: "I do not support Cory Mills." Fellow Republican Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos endorsed Elijah instead, saying in a joint statement, "We need leaders in Congress who serve with integrity, energy, and an unwavering commitment to the people who sent them there."

Mills, an Army veteran and former defense contractor first elected in 2022, will leave Congress when his term ends in January. He becomes the 11th sitting House member — and fourth Republican — to lose a primary this cycle, part of a broader pattern of surprise Trump-endorsed defeats in 2026. Elijah will face Democrat Bale Dalton, a military veteran endorsed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in the general election for the safely Republican seat.