Republican Rep. Cory Mills has lost his Florida primary to Ryan Elijah, despite running with President Donald Trump's endorsement. With more than 80% of the expected vote counted, Elijah had 46% of the GOP primary vote to 34% for Mills. Mills was defeated amid multiple investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations, as well as a Justice Department investigation into his finances. This is the latest in a string of Republican candidates who have lost primaries with Trump's support, including Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Florida Primary Results
- Angie Nixon projected winner in Florida Democratic Senate primary
+ NBC News projects that Angie Nixon will win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Florida.
- Jolly thanks supporters after projected win in Florida Democratic gubernatorial primary
+ Charlie Crist is projected to win the Democratic nomination for Governor of Florida.
- Rep. Donalds celebrates projected win in Florida GOP governor primary
+ Rep. Matt Gaetz's ally, Rep. Byron Donalds, is projected to win the Republican nomination for Governor of Florida.
Takeaways from Tuesday Primaries
- Trump endorsement can't lift Mills
+ Embattled and scandal-ridden Republican Rep. Cory Mills lost his reelection bid in Florida Tuesday.
- GOP Rep. Cory Mills loses his Florida primary amid investigations
+ NBC News projects that Ryan Elijah, a former TV news anchor and NFL sideline reporter, will win the Republican nomination for Congress in Florida's 7th District.
Socialist Movement Gains Ground
- Socialists capture major Florida victory on hit-or-miss night for Trump-endorsed primary candidates
+ A socialist, Angie Nixon, is projected to win the Democratic Senate primary in Florida.
- Sunshine State socialist scores shocking Senate upset despite being heavily outspent
+ Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member and Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon scored a massive upset in the state's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
Other Primary Results
- GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, Democrat Mary Peltola advance to Alaska Senate race
+ Senator Dan Sullivan is projected to win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Alaska.
- Wasserman Schultz wins Florida’s 20th District Democratic primary, NBC News projects
+ Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is projected to win the Democratic nomination for Congress in Florida's 20th District.
Investigations and Controversies
- Mills faces a House Ethics Committee investigation; a judge issued a restraining order against him last year after he was accused by his former girlfriend of threatening to distribute sexually explicit videos of her.
- The loss makes him the latest member of a relatively rare set of Republican candidates who lost GOP primaries even with Trump’s blessing.
Written for “Florida Primary Election Results” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 19 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
-
dogged by multiple investigations
left portraying Mills as troubled and under investigation
-
bipartisan calls for him to resign this spring
left highlighting criticism from both parties
-
Republican Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos took the rare step of endorsing against a House colleague, putting out a statement that emphasized Elijah’s character.
right noting Mills' opponents as Republicans
Leaning score -0.50 for article 1196 (medium confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-24
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.
asserted
News → lose → 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.
asserted
Trump → capture → 2024
Democrats have hoped to make it competitive this fall, especially if Mills were on the ballot.
asserted
Mills → hop → ballot
With more than 80% of the expected vote counted, Elijah had 46% of the GOP primary vote to 34% for Mills.
asserted
Elijah → expect → 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.
asserted
he → fall → finances
He has denied wrongdoing.
asserted
He → deny → wrongdoing
Despite his struggles, Mills still got Trump’s endorsement.
asserted
Mills → get → endorsement
The loss makes him the latest member of a relatively rare set of Republican candidates who lost GOP primaries even with Trump’s blessing.
asserted
who → make → blessing
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee also lost his primary this month with Trump’s support.
asserted
Ogles → lose → support
Mills is the 11th House member — seven Democrats and four Republicans — to lose a primary this year, an unusually high number.
asserted
Mills → lose → primary
Elijah ran with support from a slew of prominent Florida Republicans who have either directly or indirectly referred to Mills’ woes.
asserted
who → run → woes
Republican Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos took the rare step of endorsing against a House colleague, putting out a statement that emphasized Elijah’s character.
asserted
that → take → character
“We need leaders in Congress who serve with integrity, energy, and an unwavering commitment to the people who sent them there,” they wrote.
asserted
they → need → them
Facing a clear threat to his political career, Mills struggled to raise money, pulling in less than $900,000 through late July.
asserted
Mills → face → July
That was still twice what Elijah raised during the same period, though less than the takes of the vast majority of House members seeking re-election, according to an NBC News analysis of campaign finance reports.
uncertain
Elijah → raise → reports
Mills, an Army veteran, was a military contractor before he made a successful bid for Congress in 2022.
asserted
he → make → 2022
His House tenure has included both the Ethics Committee and Justice Department investigations and bipartisan calls for him to resign this spring and previous allegations from an ex-girlfriend that he harassed her.
asserted
he → include → her
Mills has repeatedly denied he has done anything wrong in all of those cases.
asserted
he → deny → cases
While neither candidate spent much on the airwaves, Elijah significantly outspent Mills on ads: $82,000 to $12,000, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
uncertain
Elijah → spend → firm
Bale Dalton, a former NASA official, is projected to win the Democratic primary.
asserted
Dalton → project → primary
He defeated former Rep. Alan Grayson, who was seeking another return to Congress.
asserted
who → defeat → Congress
