Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he does not support Republican U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, delivering a public snub to the two-term congressman just days before voters in Florida's 7th Congressional District decide the GOP primary. DeSantis made the remarks during a press conference at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, squarely within the district Mills represents.
DeSantis's comments, first reported by FOX 35 Orlando, confirmed what had been an open secret in Florida GOP circles: the governor has no interest in propping up Mills as he fights to keep his seat. According to the Washington Examiner, the friction traces back to Mills endorsing Donald Trump over DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and to Mills later threatening to primary DeSantis's pick for U.S. Senate in 2025.
The snub lands four days before the August 18 primary, in which Mills faces three Republican challengers. The Washington Times reports the ballot includes former local TV news anchor Ryan Elijah, businesswoman Sarah Ulrich, and realtor Michael Don Johnson alongside the incumbent.
A Widening Circle of GOP Defections
DeSantis is far from alone in turning on Mills. The Tampa Bay Times reports that U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, along with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, have broken with party precedent by endorsing Elijah over the sitting congressman in what the paper describes as a striking show of intra-party opposition.
Even Trump's support looks shakier than it once did. The former president endorsed Mills in February 2026, but according to Florida Politics, he left Mills off a re-posted list of Republican House endorsements on August 12 — a move the outlet says signals potential distance from the embattled congressman just before the vote.
Ethics Probe and Personal Legal Troubles
Mills's political problems are compounded by formal congressional scrutiny. Ballotpedia News reports that the U.S. House Ethics Committee established an investigative subcommittee in November 2025 to examine allegations against Mills involving campaign finance violations, sexual misconduct, and potential conflicts of interest tied to federal weapons contracts.
Mills also faces personal legal issues documented by the Washington Post: a Florida court granted an order of protection in October 2025 to an ex-girlfriend who accused him of threatening her with sexually explicit videos, and a D.C. police report from February 2025 detailed an alleged domestic assault involving Mills.
Money and the District's Shifting Politics
The financial picture underscores Mills's weakened position. Per Florida Politics, campaign finance disclosures through July 2026 show Mills raised under $60,000 in the second quarter with $81,000 cash on hand, while challenger Elijah raised $167,000 after launching his campaign just in April.
Florida's 7th District, which covers Seminole County and parts of Volusia County, carries an R+5 partisan lean, and Cook Political Report downgraded the seat from Solid R to Likely R in January 2026, the same Florida Politics report notes. That shift matters beyond the primary: Democratic challenger Bale Dalton, a former NASA chief of staff, has raised $1.2 million, prompting the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to place the district in its Red to Blue program for November.
Hoodline previously reported on Elijah's entry into the race in April, when the Ethics Committee investigation into Mills was already underway. With DeSantis's public disavowal now on the record and Trump's endorsement in question, GOP leaders appear increasingly worried that nominating Mills could hand Democrats a pickup opportunity in a district Republicans have long controlled.
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