Trump endorses Ryan Elijah in race against Democrat Bale Dalton after Florida congressional primary win

ORLANDO, Fla. - Republican Ryan Elijah and Democrat Bale Dalton are headed to the November general election in Florida’s 7th Congressional District after winning their respective primaries, setting up a contest between a former television anchor and a former NASA chief of staff.

President Donald Trump endorsed Elijah after the former FOX 35 anchor defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Cory Mills. Trump had previously supported Mills, who is under investigation over campaign finance issues and potential misuse of office and has faced allegations of dating violence. Mills was absent from a list of Trump endorsements released before the primary.

What they're saying:

About 14 hours after the race was called for Elijah, Trump said on Truth Social that he had urged Mills to leave the race.

"I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the race, but he wouldn’t listen," Trump wrote.

UCF political science associate lecturer John Hanley questioned the timing of Trump’s endorsement.

"Certainly, the president could have said some of those things more publicly before the primary election," Hanley said.

Trump later called Elijah a "great candidate" and gave him his "complete and total endorsement."

Elijah said he was "humbled" by the endorsement and defended its timing.

"I think the president did the right thing," Elijah said. "I really respect that. He kind of rescinded his endorsement of my opponent and let this play out, which is what I think is fair to the voters of the seventh district."

Gov. Ron DeSantis has also expressed support for Elijah, saying he appeared to be a "really good guy" who had been able to "galvanize a lot of good support." Elijah said affordability will be a major focus of his campaign and that election integrity is also an important issue among voters he has spoken with.

The other side:

Dalton, a former NASA chief of staff, won the Democratic nomination Tuesday and said he plans to appeal to voters across party lines in the general election.

"Folks of all stripes — Republicans, Democrats, independents, everybody," Dalton said. "I’m here for the folks of District 7 to roll up my sleeves and actually get things done for us here in Central Florida."

Dalton described his background as a "lifetime of public service" and said he looks forward to continuing that work. He grew up in Orlando, according to the report.

The two candidates will now compete for the District 7 seat in November.