Florida will be the site of multiple contentious congressional primary battles on Tuesday, with several incumbents forced to fend off challengers or try their luck in new districts.
District 7
Republican Rep. Cory Mills is seeking reelection in his north-central Florida district amid multiple scandals, and three primary challengers smell blood.
Mr. Mills is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of domestic violence and campaign finance law violations. A court previously issued a restraining order preventing Mr. Mills from contacting an ex-girlfriend. He has denied the accusations.
Now, Mr. Mills has three primary challengers eyeing his seat: Ryan Elijah, a local news anchor; Michael Don Johnson, a realtor; and Sarah Ulrich, who works in business and real estate.
Florida Republican Reps. Mike Haridopolos and Anna Paulina Luna have both endorsed Mr. Elijah.
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, told reporters he does not back the incumbent.
“I have not endorsed Cory Mills and I do not support Cory Mills,” said the governor.
Mr. Mills touts the president’s endorsement while characterizing the allegations against him as politically charged.
“I’m the only person who sits on this stage today who has been endorsed three times by President Donald J. Trump,” Mr. Mills said at a debate. “I’m going to continue to fight for the American people, and that’s not what the swamp wants.”
District 19
In Florida’s 19th Congressional District, 10 Republicans are battling for the seat of Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.
Multiple Republican candidates in the district have previously run for office elsewhere.
Mr. Trump has endorsed Catalina Lauf, who ran for Congress twice in Illinois.
The crowded field also includes two former Republican lawmakers with criminal histories.
Former New York Republican Rep. Chris Collins, who pleaded guilty to felony insider trading in 2019, is running for the seat, as is former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn.
Mr. Cawthorn was arrested for failing to show up to court in Sept. 2025 and served a scandal-ridden term in Congress.
District 20
Longtime Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is trying to remain in Congress despite redistricting and is running as the only non-Black Democrat in the 20th Congressional District.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz’s current district has been redrawn to favor Republicans, forcing her to run elsewhere.
The seat is vacant due to the resignation of Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who has been charged with stealing $5 million in federal COVID relief funds and using them for her congressional campaign.
But Ms. Cherfilus-McCormick, whose resignation allowed her to avoid possible expulsion from Congress after the House Ethics Committee found her guilty, did not withdraw her reelection bid and is once again running for Congress.
District 25
Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz has been forced by redistricting to run in the 25th Congressional District.
The redrawn district, which follows the coast from Delray Beach to Miami Beach, is rated a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report and is a closely watched battleground.
But to secure the nomination, Mr. Moskowitz must defeat Oliver Larkin, a democratic socialist candidate.
Mr. Larkin calls for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Electoral College, and embraces federal rent caps and instituting a $25 minimum wage – hardly moderate positions crafted to win over conservatives and independents in a swing district.
The Senate
Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who was appointed by Mr. DeSantis to succeed now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is seeking the Republican nomination on Tuesday.
Ms. Moody has three low-profile Republican challengers, and none of them have raised much money.
The Democratic Senate primary is more competitive, with Democrat Alex Vindman facing off against state Rep. Angie Nixon.
His brother, Eugene Vindman, is a Democratic House lawmaker representing a Virginia district.
Florida, which has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2012, is a long-shot state for the party in November.
