Florida Republicans Luna and Haridopolos endorse Mills challenger in GOP primary
Two House members back Ryan Elijah over incumbent Cory Mills, who faces ethics and criminal probes
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Florida Republicans Luna and Haridopolos endorse Mills challenger in GOP primary
Photograph: Joe.My.God. (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos endorsed Ryan Elijah over incumbent Rep. Cory Mills in Florida’s 7th District GOP primary on 5 August 2026.
- Mills is under a House ethics investigation and a restraining order after a former girlfriend alleged he threatened to circulate explicit videos of her.
- The Department of Justice opened a criminal probe into Mills for alleged campaign finance violations, sexual misconduct, and misuse of congressional resources.
- The endorsements were announced in a joint statement that did not name Mills but praised Elijah as a leader of integrity.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 12 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
56/100
Craft
85/100
Hype
15/100
12 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 12 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Two Florida Republican House members, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, endorsed Ryan Elijah over incumbent Rep. Cory Mills in the state’s 7th District GOP primary on 5 August 2026. The endorsements were announced in a joint statement that did not name Mills but described the need for leaders who serve with integrity and energy.
Mills, who has held the seat since 2022, is under a House ethics investigation and a restraining order issued after a former girlfriend alleged he threatened to circulate sexually explicit videos of her. The Department of Justice opened a criminal probe into Mills in July 2026 for alleged campaign finance violations, sexual misconduct, and misuse of congressional resources. Mills has denied any wrongdoing.
Elijah, a former FOX 35 Orlando anchor, is one of four Republicans challenging Mills in the primary. Luna previously called for Mills’ expulsion from the House over allegations of domestic abuse, stolen valor, and hiring sex workers in Tbilisi, Georgia, during an unofficial mission to Afghanistan.
What the coverage left out
None of the centre-rated or right-rated digests mentioned the restraining order issued against Mills or the specific allegations of domestic abuse, stolen valor, or hiring sex workers in Tbilisi. The Department of Justice criminal probe was not reported in any of the right-rated digests or in the centre-rated digest from Political Wire. The left-rated report was the only one to carry the full list of allegations and the details of the ethics investigation.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 5 Aug 2026, 22:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The left-rated report, published by Joe.My.God., led on the endorsements by Luna and Haridopolos as a sign of the GOP increasing pressure on Mills. It carried the details of the House ethics investigation, the restraining order, and the Department of Justice criminal probe. The report quoted Luna’s earlier call for Mills’ expulsion and listed the allegations of domestic abuse, stolen valor, and hiring sex workers in Tbilisi. It described Mills as "embattled and Trump-endorsed" and noted that Democrats are seeking to flip the district.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The centre-rated digests, from The Hill and Political Wire, led on the endorsements by Luna and Haridopolos. The Hill’s digest included the joint statement’s praise for Elijah as a "trusted voice in our community" and a "true patriot and freedom fighter". Both digests named Mills as the incumbent and noted that he is facing accusations, but neither carried the details of the ethics investigation, the restraining order, or the Department of Justice probe.
Right
8 rated outlets
- The right-rated digests, from The Daily Caller, WTVC, Washington Examiner, The National Desk, and WSBT, led on the endorsements by Luna and Haridopolos. The Daily Caller’s digest described Mills as "scandal-plagued" and noted that he did not receive the support of other state representatives. The Washington Examiner’s digest mentioned that Mills is facing accusations of domestic assault and a Justice Department investigation, but did not specify the nature of the allegations. The other digests carried only the fact of the endorsements and the names of the candidates.
Read it at the source
12 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
3- As Mills heads to debate, 2 Florida Congress members endorse Elijah (opens Daytona Beach News-Journal in a new tab)
Daytona Beach News-Journal
- Luna, Haridopolos endorse against Mills in Florida House primary (opens The Hill in a new tab)
- 2 Florida Republicans Endorse Mills Opponent in Primary (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
8- Florida GOP Lawmakers Abandon Scandal-Plagued Cory Mills, Back Primary Challenger (opens The Daily Caller in a new tab)
The Daily Caller — is The Daily Caller biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches (opens WTVC in a new tab)
WTVC
- Anna Paulina Luna endorses GOP opponent to Cory Mills (opens Washington Examiner in a new tab)
Washington Examiner — is Washington Examiner biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches (opens WACH in a new tab)
WACH
- Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches (opens WCYB in a new tab)
WCYB
- Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches (opens ABC 7 WJLA in a new tab)
ABC 7 WJLA — is ABC 7 WJLA biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches (opens WSBT in a new tab)
- Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches (opens The National Desk in a new tab)
The National Desk — is The National Desk biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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