DeSantis Disavows Cory Mills Before Florida Primary
DeSantis Disavows Cory Mills Before Florida Primary
The News
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he will not back Rep. Cory Mills in Tuesday's Republican primary, telling reporters flatly: "I have not endorsed Cory Mills, and I do not support Cory Mills."
DeSantis made the comment at a press conference at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University when asked about Florida's 7th Congressional District, which Mills represents.
Mills, who is running for a third term, faces three GOP challengers Tuesday while under a House Ethics Committee investigation. He has denied the allegations against him.
Timeline
President Donald Trump endorsed Mills' re-election bid on Truth Social, calling him "an America First Patriot and Tremendous Champion for the Great People of Florida's 7th Congressional District!"
The House Ethics Committee investigation into Mills continued, covering allegations that include dating violence and campaign finance law violations, according to WFLA. Mills has denied the accusations.
Mills' campaign reported roughly $81,000 cash on hand, according to the Washington Examiner — a thin war chest for a contested primary.
Several members of the Florida congressional delegation declined to endorse Mills. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., endorsed challenger Ryan Elijah, Just the News reported.
DeSantis publicly disavowed Mills at the Embry-Riddle event.
Florida holds its primaries. Early voting has been underway for days.
Reactions
DeSantis kept it short and left no ambiguity: "I have not endorsed Cory Mills, and I do not support Cory Mills."
Mills has denied the accusations that triggered the ethics inquiry. His office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News, that outlet reported.
Conservative outlets framed the moment as a Republican incumbent losing his footing at home. The Blaze wrote that Mills "is in the primary fight of his life," and cited a Victory Insights poll released the previous Friday showing Mills leading Elijah 28.3% to 22% — a race the pollster classified as "Lean – Ryan Elijah." The polling analysis said "earning only 28% support as an incumbent should already be extremely concerning to Mills."
Left-leaning coverage read it as a widening GOP fracture: Raw Story described DeSantis as joining "a growing list of Republicans abandoning" Mills days before the vote.
What's Next
Voters decide Tuesday. Mills still holds Trump's endorsement, which has repeatedly proven decisive in Republican primaries, but he goes into election day without his governor, without much of his state's congressional delegation, and with about $81,000 in the bank as of the end of the second quarter.
The House Ethics Committee investigation remains open regardless of the primary result. Blaze News reported that the Justice Department has also opened an investigation into Mills, though it said the nature and scope of that inquiry is unclear.
More
Florida's Tuesday ballot features several contested congressional primaries, with incumbents fending off challengers or running in redrawn districts, the Washington Times reported. The 7th District race is the marquee test of whether a Trump endorsement can outweigh a home-state governor's public rejection.
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