Embattled Central Florida Congressman Cory Mills faced off in a fiery primary debate with three fellow Republicans Wednesday evening, in which the political issues were largely overshadowed by his many controversies.
Mills, R-New Smyrna Beach, who is currently serving his second term in Congress, is the subject of a House ethics investigation and has been accused of misrepresenting his military record, engaging in unethical business dealings, assaulting a girlfriend and stalking an ex-girlfriend.
At the Volusia GOP debate in New Smyrna Beach, Mills strenuously denied reports that he was under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as allegations levied by his opponents including that he had stolen valor from veterans and was married in a mosque.
He compared his legal woes to those faced by President Donald Trump before his return to the White House and what he called allegations by the “fake news” media. He said “they” are trying to get him out of power just like Trump because they both fight against the D.C. “swamp.”
“I don’t back down and they want to eliminate people like that because they want swampy people who will … come in here and do exactly what they want,” Mills said, “not what the American people and not what their constituents want. That’s why they want to ruin me.”
Volusia GOP Committeeman Vic Baker talks with U.S. Congressman Cory Mills before the Republican primary debate for Florida’s 7th Congressional District, at the Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
While Mills maintained he has never been found guilty of anything, his three Republican primary opponents still took the opportunity to grill him at every turn, even when the topic of the debate was about issues like the economy or foreign policy.
Florida’s 7th congressional district is Republican-leaning, having voted for Trump over Democrat Kamala Harris by 5 percentage points in 2024, and covers all of Seminole County and the southern half of Volusia County.
Mills is facing three Republican opponents in the Aug. 18 primary: former Fox 35 Orlando anchor Ryan Elijah, real estate agent Sarah Ulrich and U.S. Army veteran and 33-year Department of Defense employee Michael Don Johnson. Elijah and Johnson especially hammered Mills during the debate.
Elijah said he has spoken with sources, whom he did not name, that Mills was indeed under DOJ investigation despite the congressman’s denials. Elijah said if Mills wins the primary, he will lose to a Democrat in the general election.
“We have a member of Congress that is on the verge of getting kicked out … He has lost the trust of this district,” Elijah said. “We’re all concerned here, but if you look the other way, we’re going to get a huge surprise in November.”
When Mills asked Elijah to name his sources, he declined, causing some in the crowd to repeatedly yell “fake news” at him.
Elijah’s campaign had just been buoyed by the endorsements of Mills’ Republican colleagues in Congress, U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, who in a joint statement Wednesday called Elijah a “trusted voice in our community” and a “true patriot and freedom fighter,” according to The Hill.
Johnson, who had previously ran against Mills in the 2022 GOP primary, accused the congressman of stolen military valor and said he had spoken to soldiers who could prove it, but did not name them. He was frequently booed by some in the crowd when he repeatedly brought up the issue.
While Ulrich was the least confrontational, she did ask Mills where he had gotten married, to which he responded that he got married at a courthouse.
This led to one of the more bizarre moments in the debate, as Johnson followed up a few minutes later by saying he had been to that courthouse and then held up what he implied was a marriage certificate showing Mills was married in a mosque.
“It’s either fraudulent that you filed a fraudulent marriage certificate document or you got married at the mosque,” Johnson said. “And in order to get married at the mosque, you got to go through 40 hours of Islamic training to be a good Muslim husband.”
In response, Mills replied he was a proud Christian and called what Johnson said “nonsense.”
Beyond the controversies, Mills repeatedly emphasized his endorsement by Trump and refused to break with the president when the candidates were asked how they disagreed with him.
Elijah and Johnson were also mostly uncritical of Trump, although Johnson said he disagreed with the president’s endorsement of Mills — earning him a laugh and cheer from some in the audience.
Ulrich gave the strongest response to the Trump question, saying she didn’t agree with how the United States entered the ongoing war in Iran. She said the U.S. was now in a “quagmire” and was weakening itself on the world stage in the face of threats from China and Russia.
The GOP primary victor will face the winner of the Democratic primary between Bale Dalton, Alan Grayson and Marialana Kinter in the November election, as well as Libertarian Christopher Dennison.