MIAMI — President Donald Trump's preferred candidates suffered major setbacks in Florida's Republican primaries Tuesday, with Rep. Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf both defeated in their bids to hold House seats.
Mills, who represents Florida's 7th District, lost to former news anchor Ryan Elijah. The loss comes as Mills faces a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, campaign finance violations and misuse of congressional resources, along with a D.C. police investigation into an assault allegation. Mills denies all accusations.
Trump endorsed Mills for reelection in February as part of a slate of Florida endorsements. The weight of the investigations proved decisive with primary voters.
In Florida's 19th District, Lauf lost to businessman Jim Schwartzel. Lauf, a Commerce Department official who received Trump's endorsement via social media in February, had previously lost a 2020 Republican primary in Illinois and a 2022 general election there.
Schwartzel, president of Sun Broadcasting and a political newcomer, now advances to the general election.
The back-to-back losses add to Trump's endorsement struggles this cycle. Primary voters have repeatedly rejected his preferred candidates in nominating contests nationwide.
Elsewhere in Florida, Rep. Byron Donalds won the Republican nomination for governor to succeed Ron DeSantis and will face Democrat David Jolly in November.
On the Democratic side, State Rep. Angie Nixon won the U.S. Senate primary, defeating Alex Vindman. Nixon, a Jacksonville native and union organizer who serves as a democratic socialist, will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in the general election.
Nixon was first elected to the state legislature in 2020, defeating a two-term incumbent. Her record includes efforts to expand early childhood education access and combat price gouging by large corporations. She has also been a vocal critic of the redrawing of congressional maps under DeSantis, leading protests that resulted in her arrest after a sit-in at the governor's office in May.
Her Senate platform includes Medicare for All, free childcare, a national rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is projected to win the Democratic nomination for the redrawn 20th House District, a seat held by Black lawmakers for more than 30 years. Rep. Jared Moskowitz defeated a democratic socialist challenger in Florida's 25th District.
Polls remain open for competitive Republican primaries in Wyoming and Alaska's top-four primaries, with results pending.
