Jacob Ogles
The possibility of flipping a Democrat-held seat in Central Florida cast Florida’s 7th Congressional District as a major battleground. But as Election Day draws near, it feels more like one of the biggest Democratic concessions in a red wave year.
Republican Cory Mills, who came out on top in an expensive, crowded and bitter GOP Primary, looks toward November as a clear favorite. The defense contractor has touted his record as an Army combat veteran.
“We’re taking nothing for granted. We know we’ve got to get our message out to voters and to remind their neighbors and friends to vote too for a better America,” Mills said.
He faces Democrat Karen Green, Vice Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, who also won a competitive Primary but has since reported little fundraising activity.
As of the end of September, Green reported having $36,699 in cash-on-hand. Mills, as of Oct. 19, reported $156,830 in the bank.
That’s after Mills over the course of his entire campaign spent nearly $2.3 million. Green spent just under $32,000.
In truth, the race largely fell off many prognosticators’ radars after incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy announced she would not seek re-election.
While Murphy repeatedly projected confidence she could have won re-election but said she was leaving to spend more time with her young family, her decision came shortly after the Florida House published a first redistricting proposal that significantly reddened her seat.
Ultimately, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a congressional map that controversially gave Republicans an advantage in four additional seats. That included CD 7, which shifted from one where Democrat Joe Biden won by 10 percentage points in the 2020 Presidential Election to one where 52.1% of voters under the new boundaries had supported Republican Donald Trump.
The district includes parts of Seminole and Volusia counties.
Mills surfaced early as a Republican candidate with support from the defense industry and many Washington leaders. He also had early support from U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a St. Augustine Republican and veteran Green Beret who represents the neighboring Florida’s 6th Congressional District, and who under the former map won many parts of the new CD 7.
Mills earned national attention when he led civilian rescue missions to Afghanistan following a highly criticized U.S. withdrawal from the Central Asian nation. He weathered some criticism over revelations his companies had sold tear gas and other equipment used against demonstrators in Black Lives Matter protests, but leaned into those in a campaign ad promising to help the liberal media “shed some real tears.”
Ultimately, Mills won an eight-candidate GOP Primary in August, taking 38% as compared to 24% for the next closest candidate, Anthony Sabatini.
Green, meanwhile, surfaced in a four-candidate field with about 45% of the vote, but national Democrats never invested in the race. The campaign has often turned in fundraising reports late. Green has shared her story as a Caribbean American immigrant who rose to be a leader in Central Florida’s nonprofit sector.
