Squad Friendly GOP Rep Loses His Primary
Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills failed to secure his party’s nomination for another term Tuesday, suffering a primary defeat despite receiving a public endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Mills, who was seeking a third term representing Florida’s 7th Congressional District, lost the Republican primary to Ryan Elijah. The result ends Mills’ bid for reelection following a turbulent stretch that included controversy over a congressional vote involving Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, as well as allegations made by a former girlfriend.
Decision Desk HQ projects Ryan Elijah wins the Florida US House 7 Republican Primary#DecisionMade: 7:53 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/TvJjVyAgSK
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) August 18, 2026
One of the most politically consequential moments came when Mills cast the deciding vote that allowed Omar to keep her committee assignments.
The effort to remove Omar followed comments she made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk after his assassination on Sept. 10 of last year. Kirk was fatally shot, and Omar publicly criticized him the following day.
Speaking with former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, Omar brought up Kirk’s past advocacy for gun rights.
“What I do know for sure is that, you know, Charlie was someone who once said, you know, guns save lives after a school shooting,” Omar said.
She also criticized Kirk over his comments concerning George Floyd.
“Charlie was someone who was willing to debate and downplay the death of George Floyd in the hands of Minneapolis police,” she said.
The criticism did not end there. About a week later, Omar appeared on CNN and said Kirk belonged in the “dustbin of history.”
Ilhan Omar says Charlie Kirk should be left “in the dust bin of history”
She echoed the assassin’s words, claiming he “spread hate”
She refused to apologize for sharing a video that called him “Dr. Frankenstein” and said “his monster shot him through the neck” pic.twitter.com/KWxOiib51M
— Ryan Saavedra (@RyanSaavedra) September 20, 2025
Republicans subsequently pushed to strip Omar of her committee assignments. Mills, however, supplied the critical vote that prevented that from happening.
His explanation was centered on the First Amendment.
“The 7 Articles and 27 Amendments of our Constitution are not followed only when it serves your purpose,” Mills wrote on X.
“We may not like or agree with what someone says, but that does not mean we should deny their protected 1A Right,” he added.
Mills therefore presented his vote not as an endorsement of Omar’s remarks, but as a defense of constitutional protections for speech. That distinction did not prevent the decision from generating anger among some conservatives, particularly given the timing and nature of Omar’s comments about Kirk.
The 7 Articles and 27 Amendments of our Constitution are not followed only when it serves your purpose. Unlike with Rep McIver, whom is accused of assault and obstruction of LEO, which I supported not to table, this is a 1A issue. We may not like or agree with what someone says,… https://t.co/GcyfKY5vdu
— Cory Mills (@CoryMillsFL) September 17, 2025
The congressman also entered the primary carrying a separate controversy involving a former girlfriend.
She filed a police report accusing Mills of threatening to release nude photographs and videos of her after their relationship ended. Mills denied the allegations and resisted calls for him to withdraw from the race.
Trump nevertheless publicly backed Mills in his campaign for another term.
That endorsement ultimately was not enough.