Squad Friendly GOP Rep Loses His Primary

Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills lost his bid for renomination Tuesday, bringing his time in Congress closer to an end despite receiving a public endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Mills, who was seeking a third term representing Florida’s 7th Congressional District, was defeated in the Republican primary by Ryan Elijah. The result marked a significant setback for the incumbent, particularly given Trump’s continued influence in Republican primaries across the country.

The loss also came after a politically costly vote by Mills involving Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

Mills cast a key vote that allowed Omar to keep her committee assignments after Republicans sought to remove her over comments she made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his assassination on Sept. 10 of last year.

Omar criticized Kirk the day after his death during an appearance with former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan. While discussing Kirk’s political record, she pointed to his support for gun rights and comments he had made about George Floyd.

“What I do know for sure is that, you know, Charlie was someone who once said, you know, guns save lives after a school shooting,” Omar said.

She also accused Kirk of having been willing to “debate and downplay” Floyd’s death while in Minneapolis police custody.

A week later, during an appearance on CNN, Omar said Kirk belonged in the “dustbin of history.”

Those comments fueled calls from Republicans to strip Omar of her committee assignments. Mills, however, opposed the effort and defended his position as a matter of constitutional principle.

In a statement posted to X, Mills argued that constitutional protections cannot be applied only when politically convenient.

“The 7 Articles and 27 Amendments of our Constitution are not followed only when it serves your purpose,” Mills wrote.