Democrats are reportedly pulling back planned funding in Florida's 7th Congressional District after Trump-backed Ryan Elijah secured the Republican nomination, changing the dynamics of a race they once viewed as competitive.
House Majority PAC, a leading Democratic super PAC focused on House races, is reportedly scaling back plans to help Democrat Bale Dalton compete for the open seat.
Democrats are reportedly pulling back planned funding in a race they once viewed as competitive.
The district had looked more favorable to Democrats when embattled Republican Cory Mills was still in the race. Mills, first elected in 2022, spent his time in Washington dogged by a House Ethics Committee investigation and allegations of campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct — and in August his own party finished the job, as former local news anchor Ryan Elijah defeated him in the Republican primary by roughly 12 points. Democrats believed Mills' baggage made the seat winnable; with Mills out of the picture, Republicans now have a new candidate to rally behind — one carrying President Trump's backing.
Mills also drew controversy over his defense of Rep. Ilhan Omar, which angered conservatives in his own party. Now, Republicans are hoping Elijah can give the GOP a stronger shot at holding FL-07, a district covering Seminole County and parts of the Orlando suburbs that Republicans cannot afford to hand away with the House majority on the line.
Super PAC money follows winnable races, and a pullback this close to November is a verdict: with a cleaner nominee, Democrats no longer like their odds. The big question is whether Democrats' reduced spending changes the race — or whether they find another way to compete.
The 7th District runs from the northern suburbs of Orlando to the coast south of Daytona Beach, and flipped to Republican hands when Mills won it in 2022 after Democrat Stephanie Murphy retired. Dalton, a former NASA chief of staff and 24-year Navy veteran backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was supposed to be the candidate who finally took it back. It is the kind of seat Democrats circle every cycle and then struggle to take — and with the House majority likely to be decided by a handful of districts, every super PAC dollar moved out of Florida is a dollar Republicans do not have to match there.
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