Republican congressional hopeful Ryan Elijah, who defeated embattled Rep. Cory Mills in a bitter primary contest last month, backtracked this week on a series of previous claims he made about the 2020 election being stolen from President Donald Trump.
But when asked by local Florida TV station WKMG News 6 Wednesday if he thought the election was stolen, Elijah said, “No.”
“People would always ask me that and this is what I hear from Floridians: Look forward. That’s been six or seven years ago,” he continued.
It’s a sharp reversal from his previous stance on the election. While challenging Trump-endorsed Mills, Elijah walked a tightrope around the issue –– at a primary debate in August, Elijah said he did not “believe President Biden got more votes than Donald Trump in that race.”
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But in the interview with WKMG, Elijah said that the question was intended to divide people, adding “Joe Biden was elected president and nobody is disputing that.”
Trump initially endorsed Mills but is supporting Elijah following his win in the primary. Mills has been dogged by multiple scandals, including a probe by the House Ethics Committee into allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations.
The Department of Justice is also investigating Mills’ finances. A list of prominent Florida Republicans, including fellow House members Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, endorsed Elijah in the primary, citing Mills’ controversial past.
Elijah, a former news anchor in Orlando, won with 47% of the vote. But other Republicans were not as thrilled to see him flip-flop on the results of the 2020 election. Former Rep. George Santos wrote in a post on X Friday that he expects Elijah’s shift on that issue will be just the start.
“Y’all mad yet for voting for him instead of @CoryMillsFL?” Santos said. “This will be the biggest buyer’s remorse ever, just wait and see.”
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