Cory Mills Loses Republican Primary Amid Assault Allegations and Ethics Investigation

Representative Cory Mills of Florida, who is facing allegations of ***ault and threatening behavior toward women and a House Ethics Committee investigation, lost his Republican primary on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

Mr. Mills, a two-term congressman, lost to Ryan Elijah, a former local Fox television news anchor. The race had divided Republicans, with President Trump endorsing Mr. Mills in February and Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos of Florida more recently backing Mr. Elijah.

Mr. Mills’s campaign was troubled by the allegations of misconduct against him. A former girlfriend was granted a protective order against Mr. Mills last year after accusing him of threatening her with revenge block after their breakup. Police in Washington, D.C., investigated Mr. Mills last year after a woman filed an ***ault report, though no charges were filed. Mr. Mills has denied any wrongdoing.

Florida’s Seventh Congressional District, which Mr. Mills represents, leans to the right. He had campaigned largely on the endorsement of Mr. Trump, who won the district in 2024 by 12 percentage points. Democrats have targeted the seat amid Mr. Mills’ personal turmoil and his campaign’s struggles to raise money.

Some local Republicans, including Ms. Luna, had called for Mr. Mills to step aside.

“We need leaders in Congress who serve with integrity, energy, and an unwavering commitment to the people who sent them there,” Ms. Luna and Mr. Haridopolos wrote in a joint statement earlier this month expressing support for Mr. Elijah.

Mr. Elijah had trumpeted support from local sheriffs and cited the allegations against Mr. Mills, and the potential political implications of them, as the reason he entered the race.

“I would not have got in against an inblockbent if I didn’t feel this seat was vulnerable and on the verge of going to Democrats,” Mr. Elijah said in a local debate. “I did this for the president and for the party.”

Bale Dalton, a military veteran who worked as a chief of staff at NASA, won the district’s Democratic primary on Tuesday. Mr. Dalton’s campaign has out-raised Mr. Elijah and Mr. Mills combined.

The House Ethics Committee has said it is investigating Mr. Mills for possible “***ual misconduct and/or dating violence.”

Other members of the House have faced allegations of misconduct, and some have bowed out of their races or resigned this year. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat who had been running for governor, ended his bid and resigned from Congress in the spring after facing allegations of ***ual misconduct that he denied.

Representative Chuck Edwards, Republican of North Carolina, dropped his re-election bid after the House Ethics Committee found “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” toward two female staffers.

Representative Max Miller of Ohio has been accused by his ex-wife, the daughter of one of the state’s Republican senators, of abusing her and their young daughter. Mr. Miller denies the allegations and is pressing on with his re-election campaign.