--- title: "Florida Republicans Luna and Haridopolos endorse Mills challenger in GOP primary" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/florida-republicans-luna-and-haridopolos-endorse-mills-challenger-in-gop-primary" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/florida-republicans-luna-and-haridopolos-endorse-mills-challenger-in-gop-primary" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/florida-republicans-luna-and-haridopolos-endorse-mills-challenger-in-gop-primary.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/florida-republicans-luna-and-haridopolos-endorse-mills-challenger-in-gop-primary" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-05T20:47:00.473Z" source_reported: "2026-08-05T18:45:32.000Z" updated: "2026-08-05T22:15:30.432Z" trust_score: 56 critic_score: 85 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-05T22:15:30.345446+00:00" --- # 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* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 56 of 100, higher is better. Trust 56 – named reps and date cited, but only one original report and no independent documents. - Craft 85 of 100, higher is better. Critic 85 – explains significance, provides specific names/dates, and notes next steps. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15 – language is measured with no sensational framing. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 12 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 8% (1) - Centre: 25% (3) - Right: 67% (8) 0 of 12 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-05T22:15:30.345446+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 5 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-05T23:00:38.087Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - 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 - 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 - 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. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 7 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Daytona Beach News-Journal](https://news-journalonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/08/05/u-s-house-members-endorse-ryan-elijah-ahead-of-debate/91184984007) — As Mills heads to debate, 2 Florida Congress members endorse Elijah - [The Daily Caller](https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/05/florida-gop-lawmakers-abandon-scandal-plagued-cory-mills-back-challenger-ryan-elijah-primary-anna-paulina-luna) — Florida GOP Lawmakers Abandon Scandal-Plagued Cory Mills, Back Primary Challenger - [WTVC](https://newschannel9.com/news/nation-world/two-florida-republicans-back-rep-cory-mills-primary-opponent-as-election-approaches-congress-police) — Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/4675913/anna-paulina-luna-endorses-against-cory-mills) — Anna Paulina Luna endorses GOP opponent to Cory Mills - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/08/florida-republicans-endorse-cory-mills-challenger) — Florida Republicans Endorse Cory Mills' Challenger - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6010825-luna-haridopolos-endorsesement-ryan-elijah-over-cory-mills-florida-7th-district) — Luna, Haridopolos endorse against Mills in Florida House primary - [The National Desk](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/two-florida-republicans-back-rep-cory-mills-primary-opponent-as-election-approaches-congress-police) — Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches - [WSBT](https://wsbt.com/news/nation-world/two-florida-republicans-back-rep-cory-mills-primary-opponent-as-election-approaches-congress-police) — Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches - [abc 7 WJLA](https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/two-florida-republicans-back-rep-cory-mills-primary-opponent-as-election-approaches-congress-police) — Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches - [WCYB](https://wcyb.com/news/nation-world/two-florida-republicans-back-rep-cory-mills-primary-opponent-as-election-approaches-congress-police) — Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches - [WACH](https://wach.com/news/nation-world/two-florida-republicans-back-rep-cory-mills-primary-opponent-as-election-approaches-congress-police) — Two Florida Republicans back Rep. Cory Mills' primary opponent as election approaches - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/08/05/2-florida-republicans-endorse-mills-opponent-in-primary) — 2 Florida Republicans Endorse Mills Opponent in Primary ## Questions **Why did Luna and Haridopolos endorse Mills’ challenger?** Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos endorsed Ryan Elijah over incumbent Rep. Cory Mills in Florida’s 7th District GOP primary. Their joint statement praised Elijah as a leader of integrity and energy but did not name Mills or specify their reasons for opposing him. **What allegations is Rep. Cory Mills facing?** Rep. Cory 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. **Which outlets reported the Department of Justice probe into Mills?** The Department of Justice criminal probe into Rep. Cory Mills was reported only by the left-rated Joe.My.God. None of the centre-rated or right-rated digests mentioned it. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/florida-republicans-luna-and-haridopolos-endorse-mills-challenger-in-gop-primary. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Florida Republicans Luna and Haridopolos endorse Mills challenger in GOP primary", https://mediabias.news/politics/florida-republicans-luna-and-haridopolos-endorse-mills-challenger-in-gop-primary