DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Republican congressional candidate Ryan Elijah is questioning the strength of President Donald Trump’s backing of U.S. Rep. Cory Mills after the incumbent was absent from a recent series of endorsement posts by the president, while Gov. Ron DeSantis added new uncertainty Friday by saying he does not support Mills.
Elijah, who is challenging Mills for the Republican nomination in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, highlighted Trump’s omission Thursday as the president reaffirmed his support for numerous Republican candidates ahead of Florida’s Aug. 18 primary.
“President Trump released his list of endorsements. He reposted them for Republicans up for election in Congress — even those without a primary,” Elijah wrote on X. “He did not post an endorsement for Cory Mills.”
Trump’s recent series of posts reaffirmed endorsements for 21 candidates, according to The Floridian, including numerous Republican members of Florida’s congressional delegation. Mills was notably absent.
The omission, however, does not establish that Trump has withdrawn his previous endorsement of Mills.
Mills has continued to publicly describe himself as Trump’s endorsed candidate in the race. Shortly before Elijah raised the issue Thursday, Mills posted that he was the “ONLY candidate endorsed by President Trump” in Florida’s 7th Congressional District.
Mills also said he was proud to have a conservative voting record that supported Trump’s agenda.
There has been no public announcement from Trump saying he has rescinded his previous endorsement of Mills.
DeSantis says he does not support Mills
The political pressure on Mills increased Friday when DeSantis was asked about the congressional race during an appearance at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.
“I have not endorsed Cory Mills. I do not support Cory Mills,” DeSantis said.
The governor’s statement is separate from the dispute over Trump’s endorsement. DeSantis did not say Trump had withdrawn his support for Mills, and his remarks should not be interpreted as evidence that the president has done so.
But the governor’s decision to publicly distance himself from the incumbent adds another development to an already contentious Republican primary just four days before Election Day.
CD-7 battle intensifies
Mills faces Elijah, Sarah Ulrich and Michael Johnson in the Republican primary for Florida’s 7th Congressional District.
Recent polling shows Mills maintaining the lead but with a large share of Republican voters still undecided.
A Victory Insights survey conducted Aug. 4-6 showed Mills at 28.3 percent and Elijah at 22 percent, a 6.3-point advantage for the incumbent. Approximately 41.5 percent of respondents remained undecided.
A separate St. Pete Polls survey conducted Aug. 3-4 showed a wider Mills advantage, with the congressman at 29.5 percent and Elijah at 13.9 percent. Ulrich received 8.2 percent.
That survey also found roughly 41 percent of voters undecided.
The large undecided share in both surveys has left considerable uncertainty about the race despite Mills leading each poll.
Elijah has also accumulated several prominent endorsements as he attempts to unseat the two-term congressman.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma and Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood have endorsed Elijah. Republican U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos have also backed his campaign.
Mills, meanwhile, has emphasized his conservative voting record, military background and support for Trump’s agenda while arguing that he remains the only Trump-endorsed candidate in the Republican primary.
Trump backing becomes closing argument
Trump’s endorsement has become part of the closing argument in the CD-7 race as early voting continues and Republican voters prepare for Tuesday’s primary.
Elijah is attempting to turn Mills’ absence from Trump’s latest round of endorsement posts into evidence that the incumbent’s standing with the president should be questioned.
Mills is pushing the opposite message, continuing to identify himself as Trump’s endorsed candidate.
The distinction remains important: Trump’s failure to include Mills in the latest series of endorsement posts does not, by itself, mean the president has withdrawn his previous endorsement.
DeSantis’ statement Friday introduces a separate issue for Mills. Florida’s governor has now explicitly said he does not support the incumbent, adding another high-profile Republican voice to the political battle surrounding the race.
Florida’s primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 18.
The Florida Pundit will continue monitoring statements from Trump, DeSantis, Mills and Elijah as the CD-7 Republican primary enters its final days.
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