FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., a scandal-plagued lawmaker facing bipartisan calls to resign, drew a GOP challenger Tuesday who threatens to scramble his re-election bid.
Ryan Elijah, a veteran former news anchor for FOX 35 Orlando, is launching a bid for Mills’ central Florida House seat, vowing to defeat the embattled incumbent in the Sunshine State’s August primary.
Elijah told Fox News Digital that Republican voters should have an alternative to Mills, who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations, among other improprieties.
“People in the Seventh District want another choice,” Elijah said in an interview.
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Elijah called the allegations against Mills “serious” and said the House Ethics Committee should continue its investigation into the incumbent’s alleged misconduct. The panel announced last week that its only active investigation related to “sexual misconduct and/or dating violence” is the Mills probe.
The committee has not indicated when it plans to wrap up its investigation into Mills, which began in November.
Mills allegedly threatened to release nude images and videos of an ex-girlfriend after their relationship ended, leading a judge to bar him from contacting that individual. He was also involved in an alleged domestic violence incident that drew a police response in Washington, D.C., last year.
The incumbent has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.
“I’ve never been indicted for anything,” Mills told Fox News last week. “Everything has just been an accusation, allegation.”
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Elijah, a 20-year Florida resident, said he decided to challenge Mills after receiving “overwhelming support” from community leaders in the district to jump into the race.
He also characterized Mills as a weak general election candidate, who could put the GOP in danger of losing the Republican-leaning district in November’s midterm elections. Democrats are notably targeting Mills’ seat as a top flip opportunity in the Sunshine State.
“There’s obviously a chance we could lose the seat,” Elijah said, if Mills is the Republican nominee.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report downgraded Mills’ re-election bid from “solid” to “likely” Republican in February.
Mills’ campaign entered April with just over $115,000 in the bank and is more than $2 million in debt, according to recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.
Former NASA chief of staff Bale Dalton, Mills’ leading Democratic challenger, ended 2026’s first fundraising quarter with $464,000 in cash on hand.
Mills is running for a third House term with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, which can be consequential in competitive GOP primaries.
Elijah said he would still vie for the president’s support.
“I’m not going against the president’s endorsement or even going against the party. I’m going for both of those,” Elijah told Fox News Digital. “Right now, I’m just focused on getting out of the gate and just talking to people, and we’ll see where those chips fall.”
Mills is also facing a potential expulsion threat from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who has yet to force a vote on her removal measure.
Three House members facing misconduct allegations resigned from Congress earlier in April to avoid potential expulsion votes. Those lawmakers were former Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla.
Mace’s measure accuses Mills of misrepresenting his military service and of illicit involvement in federal contracts as a sitting lawmaker, in addition to alleged sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations.
“This guy has no place in Congress, especially if you’re a woman, especially if you’re a military vet, what he’s done is shameful, and at some point we have to take responsibility for ourselves,” Mace told Fox News on Monday. “If we’re going to hold the left accountable, we’ve got to hold the right accountable too.”
Asked whether Mills should resign, Elijah said members of Congress could force the issue.
“There’s been a lot of calls for him to resign. He obviously decided he wasn’t going to,” Elijah said. “He was going to fight it out at this point. So I think his fate is in the hands of Congress.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Mills’ campaign for comment.
