Ryan Elijah launches Republican challenge to Cory Mills in District 7

Ryan Elijah, a Sanford-based former FOX 35 Orlando anchor, entered the Republican primary for Florida’s 7th Congressional District on April 28, setting up an early challenge to incumbent Cory Mills in a seat that includes all of Seminole County and the southern half of Volusia County.

Elijah said he launched the campaign after talking with community leaders and after spending 14 years raising his family in the district. “We must have a representative in Washington who puts your needs first,” Elijah told supporters, framing his bid around hardworking families, small businesses, safe communities, the Second Amendment, lower taxes and less regulation. His campaign says he has lived in Florida for 20 years, worked as co-anchor of Good Day Orlando and host of Orlando Matters on WOFL FOX 35, and earned multiple Emmy nominations.

The race gives Seminole County Republicans an early read on whether Mills still has enough local support to survive a primary challenge. Mills won re-election in 2024 and says he intends to seek a third term, but his campaign has been shadowed by ethics scrutiny in Washington. The U.S. House Committee on Ethics voted on November 19, 2025, to establish an Investigative Subcommittee in the matter of Rep. Cory Mills, then named the panel’s members on January 9, 2026. The committee also said it had received a second referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct on December 22, 2025.

For voters in Seminole County, the contrast is as much about identity as ideology. Elijah is betting that a well-known local television personality, with a long run on Orlando airwaves and a home base in Sanford, can connect with Republicans who want a representative they see as rooted in the community. Mills, meanwhile, is relying on incumbency and a district that has already sent him back to Congress once.

The calendar is now moving fast. Florida’s congressional filing deadline is June 12, 2026. The Republican primary will be held on August 18, 2026, followed by the general election on November 3, 2026. With Seminole County’s population estimated at 491,884 on July 1, 2025, up from 470,856 in the 2020 Census, the district’s biggest county remains central to the outcome. The 2022 redistricting plan kept all of Seminole County in FL-07 and placed the southern half of Volusia County inside it, making this a Seminole-centered fight with broader implications for North Central Florida Republicans.