Ryan
Elijah
Republican candidate for Florida's 7th Congressional District; former Fox 35 Orlando news anchor who defeated incumbent Cory Mills in the 2026 GOP primary
- sources
- 21
- positions
- 12
- endorsements
- 22
Background
Ryan Elijah is the Republican candidate for Florida's 7th Congressional District in the November 2026 general election. He defeated incumbent Republican Cory Mills in the August 2026 primary, and the FEC lists him as a challenger. 24
Before entering politics, Elijah worked in broadcast journalism for approximately two decades. He co-anchored Good Day Orlando and hosted Orlando Matters on Fox 35 (WOFL) in Orlando, and previously worked as a sports director in Jacksonville and a news anchor in Indiana. He resigned from WOFL in April 2026 to run for Congress. 31116
Elijah is a Fort Wayne, Indiana native who has lived in Florida for roughly 20 years, including 14 years in District 7. He and his wife raised their two sons in Seminole County. He graduated from Anderson University, where he studied Mass Communications and Political Science. 31115
In the general election, Elijah faces Democrat Bale Dalton. His campaign has highlighted endorsements from local sheriffs and community leaders on issues including public safety. 678
At a glance
- Party
- Republican
- Running for
- U.S. House · District 7, Florida
- Election
- Nov 3, 2026
- Website
- elijahforcongress.com(opens in a new tab)
Where they stand
Each position links to the page it was drawn from. Quotes are verbatim.
Timeline
- Date unknownpollPre-primary poll shows Elijah at 13.9%, Mills leading at 29.5%
An August 3–4 St. Pete Polls survey of 304 likely Republican primary voters for Florida Politics found Mills at 29.5%, Elijah at 13.9%, and 41.3% undecided; margin of error was 5.6 points.
Ryan Elijah | Biography & Public Record — The Conservative Ledger · Sep 17, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 8debateElijah and Dalton both decline to attend WESH general-election debate; only Libertarian participates
WESH's planned general-election debate did not go ahead with the major-party nominees; both Elijah and Dalton opted not to attend, leaving only Libertarian Christopher Dennison to be interviewed.
Interview with Florida's 7th congressional district libertarian candidate · Oct 8, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 7endorsementElijah releases ad featuring Sheriffs Chitwood and Lemma emphasizing public safety
Elijah's campaign highlighted support from Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma, and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey in a new ad focused on public safety and consumer fraud recovery.
Ryan Elijah highlights support from Chitwood, Lemma and Ivey; 2 appear in new ad · Oct 7, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Oct 1endorsementOrange County Sheriff John Mina endorses Republican Ryan Elijah for Congress
Sheriff John Mina of Orange County announced his endorsement of Elijah in the FL-07 general election race against Democrat Bale Dalton.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina endorses Republican Ryan Elijah for Congress · Oct 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 23debateElijah brushes off calls for a general-election debate with Bale Dalton
Florida Politics reported that Elijah had not agreed to debate Dalton, with his campaign saying debates were a lower priority than direct voter outreach.
Ryan Elijah brushes off calls for debate with Bale Dalton · Sep 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 23newsElijah says voters want consistency, not flip-flops, in FL-7 race
Elijah argued that voters in Florida's 7th District value consistency in a candidate, contrasting himself with opponent Bale Dalton.
Elijah says voters want consistency, not flip-flops, in Florida's 7th District race · Sep 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 23newsElijah debuts affordability-focused ad criticizing Dalton on tax cuts
Elijah released an ad stating: 'My plan is common sense: Keep taxes low and bring down gas and grocery bills,' and criticizing Dalton's position on tax cuts affecting tips, overtime, and seniors.
Ryan Elijah debuts ad focusing on affordability · Sep 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 22newsElijah travels to Washington to seek support after unseating member of his own party
Florida Politics reported that Elijah sought backing in Washington, D.C., following his primary defeat of incumbent Republican Cory Mills.
Ryan Elijah seeks support in Washington after unseating a member of his own party · Sep 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 18newsTrump-backed Mills among 14 candidates who lost primaries despite presidential support
US News & World Report noted that Mills, whom Trump had backed, lost the FL-07 primary to Elijah, making him one of 14 Trump-endorsed candidates defeated in primaries.
Trump's Support Couldn't Save These 14 Candidates From Primary Defeat · Sep 18, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 16filingElijah files updated financial disclosure after ethics complaint
Elijah filed an amended financial disclosure, according to Florida Politics, following the earlier ethics complaint about unitemized retirement account holdings.
Ryan Elijah seeks support in Washington after unseating a member of his own party · Sep 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 16newsElijah's primary upset of Mills highlighted in national coverage of incumbent defeats
US News & World Report covered Elijah's primary win as part of a broader look at incumbent defeats in the 2026 House primaries.
House Primary Results 2026: A Closer Look at the Numbers Behind Incumbent Defeats · Sep 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Sep 15debateElijah accused of debate dodging in Florida congress race coverage
A Yahoo News report described accusations that Elijah was avoiding a debate with Democratic opponent Bale Dalton in the FL-07 general election race.
Florida Congress race draws accusations of debate dodging - Yahoo · Sep 15, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Aug 19endorsementTrump and DeSantis endorse Elijah after his primary victory
President Trump, who had previously backed Mills, and Gov. Ron DeSantis both offered support for Elijah the day after his primary win.
Ryan Elijah seeks support in Washington after unseating a member of his own party · Sep 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Aug 18newsElijah defeats incumbent Cory Mills in Republican primary with 47.29% of the vote
Elijah won the FL-07 Republican primary with 47.29% of the vote to Mills's 34.1%, unseating the incumbent congressman.
Ryan Elijah, Florida House, District 7 candidate · Project Curia · Sep 26, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Aug 5endorsementReps. Haridopolos and Luna endorse Elijah over incumbent Mills
Reps. Mike Haridopolos and Anna Paulina Luna endorsed Elijah over incumbent Cory Mills ahead of the Republican primary, according to Florida Politics.
Ryan Elijah seeks support in Washington after unseating a member of his own party · Sep 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab) - Apr 28filingRyan Elijah files statement of candidacy for FL-07
Elijah filed his statement of candidacy with the FEC, according to a summary of his FEC records.
Ryan Elijah | Biography & Public Record — The Conservative Ledger · Sep 17, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Endorsements
- Florida Family Action organizationListed Elijah as a 'Preferred Candidate' in the 2026 Republican primary; organizational rating, not a general election endorsement. elijahforcongress.com
- David Smith officialFlorida State Representative (district not specified by campaign). Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Bob O'Malley officialAltamonte Springs City Commissioner. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Doug Bankson officialFlorida State Representative, House District 39. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- David Santiago officialVolusia County Council Member. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Mathew D. Staver otherFounder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Amy Lockhart officialSeminole County Commissioner. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- America First Insight organizationListed as an endorser by the campaign. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Rachel Plakon officialFlorida State Representative, House District 36. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Justin York officialLake Mary City Commissioner and former Deputy Mayor. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Grady Judd officialPolk County Sheriff. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- John Stemberger otherDescribed as a conservative leader. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Karen Almond otherFormer Seminole County School Board Member. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Bill McCollum officialFormer U.S. Congressman and Florida Attorney General. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page. elijahforcongress.com
- Dennis Lemma officialSeminole County Sheriff. Date not stated on campaign endorsements page; appeared in Elijah campaign ad reported October 7, 2026. elijahforcongress.com
- Wayne Ivey officialBrevard County Sheriff. Elijah highlighted Ivey's support in an October 7, 2026 report; endorsement statement quoted there. flvoicenews.com · Oct 7, 2026
- Donald Trump officialPresident of the United States. Trump posted 'He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!' after Elijah won the Republican primary. presidency.ucsb.edu · Aug 19, 2026
- Anna Paulina Luna officialU.S. Representative, Florida's 13th District. Joint endorsement with Mike Haridopolos announced ahead of debate. news-journalonline.com · Aug 5, 2026
- Mike Haridopolos officialU.S. Representative, Florida's 8th District. Joint endorsement with Anna Paulina Luna announced ahead of debate. news-journalonline.com · Aug 5, 2026
- Mike Chitwood officialVolusia County Sheriff. Endorsement reported July 20, 2026; later featured in a campaign public-safety ad reported October 7, 2026. flvoicenews.com · Jul 20, 2026
- Tom A. Wright officialFlorida State Senator. Endorsement announced July 20, 2026. flvoicenews.com · Jul 20, 2026
- Ron DeSantis officialGovernor of Florida. Date per the campaign's news page. elijahforcongress.com · Jul 17, 2026
Campaign finance
Totals filed with the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 election cycle.
- Raised
- $356K
- Spent
- $170K
- Cash on hand
- $186K
As of Jul 29, 2026. Filings are periodic, so recent money may not be included yet. ↳ FEC record H6FL07231(opens in a new tab)
Sources 21
- [1] Interview with Florida's 7th congressional district libertarian candidate(opens in a new tab) Oct 8, 2026
- [2] Ryan Elijah highlights support from Chitwood, Lemma and Ivey; 2 appear in new ad(opens in a new tab) Oct 7, 2026
- [3] Issues(opens in a new tab) Oct 5, 2026
- [4] Endorsements — Ryan Elijah for Congress, Florida's 7th District(opens in a new tab) Oct 4, 2026
- [5] Orange County Sheriff John Mina endorses Republican Ryan Elijah for Congress(opens in a new tab) Oct 1, 2026
- [6] Ryan Elijah, Florida House, District 7 candidate · Project Curia(opens in a new tab) Sep 26, 2026
- [7] Elijah says voters want consistency, not flip-flops, in Florida's 7th District race(opens in a new tab) Sep 23, 2026
- [8] Ryan Elijah brushes off calls for debate with Bale Dalton(opens in a new tab) Sep 23, 2026
- [9] Ryan Elijah debuts ad focusing on affordability(opens in a new tab) Sep 23, 2026
- [10] Trump's Support Couldn't Save These 14 Candidates From Primary Defeat(opens in a new tab) Sep 18, 2026
- [11] Ryan Elijah | Biography & Public Record — The Conservative Ledger(opens in a new tab) Sep 17, 2026
- [12] House Primary Results 2026: A Closer Look at the Numbers Behind Incumbent Defeats(opens in a new tab) Sep 16, 2026
- [13] Ryan Elijah seeks support in Washington after unseating a member of his own party(opens in a new tab) Sep 16, 2026
- [14] Florida Congress race draws accusations of debate dodging - Yahoo(opens in a new tab) Sep 15, 2026
- [15] Ryan Elijah says he doesn't think the 2020 election was stolen, reversing position he held ahead of GOP Primary(opens in a new tab) Sep 10, 2026
- [16] In the News — Ryan Elijah for Congress, Florida’s 7th District(opens in a new tab) Aug 20, 2026
- [17] Truth Social Posts of August 19, 2026 | The American ...(opens in a new tab) Aug 19, 2026
- [18] As Mills heads to debate, 2 Florida Congress members endorse Elijah(opens in a new tab) Aug 5, 2026
- [19] Voter Guide Profile for FL U.S. Rep., Dist. 7 candidate ...(opens in a new tab) Aug 5, 2026
- [20] 2026 Voters Guide: Ryan Elijah for US House District 7(opens in a new tab) Jul 31, 2026
- [21] Ryan Elijah lands endorsements from Sen. Tom Wright, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood in Florida's 7th Congressional District race(opens in a new tab) Jul 20, 2026