Cory Mills Faces Ryan Elijah Challenge in Florida's 7th District

Ryan Elijah said on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, that he intends to run for cory mills' Florida's 7th Congressional District, opening another Republican challenge in the seat that covers Seminole and Volusia counties. Elijah, a former news anchor at FOX 35 Orlando, said he has raised his family in the district for 14 years.

“We must have a representative in Washington who puts your needs first. I have raised my family in the district for 14 years and will make hardworking families, small businesses, and safe communities my number one priority.”

Mills and the 2026 ballot

Mills was elected to the district in 2022 and won re-election in 2024. He has said he intends to seek a third term, setting up a race in a district that will go before voters again in 2026.

Florida’s primary is scheduled for August 18, 2026, with the general election set for November 3, 2026. Elijah’s entry adds to a field that already includes declared candidates Jennifer Adams, Marialana Kinter and Michael Don Johnson.

Florida's 7th District field

Adams lost to Mills in the 2024 election. Kinter has said she served in the U.S. Navy and in the nuclear program, while Don Johnson has described himself as a fiscal conservative Reagan Republican. Elijah’s campaign gives Republican voters another choice before filing and primary contests narrow the field.

The seat now has a clearer line of competition: Mills is seeking another term, and Elijah is trying to turn his local biography into a case for support in Seminole and Volusia counties. The first test comes in the August primary, when the field starts to sort itself out.