Trump-backed GOP candidate who ousted scandal-plagued incumbent warns against 'never-ending war' with Iran

For 14 years, Ryan Elijah reported on Central Florida's biggest stories from the television newsroom. Now, he is on a mission to represent the same community in Congress. 

Elijah stepped into a contentious GOP primary in which he warned that incumbent Cory Mills was at risk of losing the Republican-leaning district to the Democrats, following a series of personal and professional scandals.

Elijah won a convincing victory in the August 18 Republican primary, receiving 47% of the vote to Mills' 34%.

Trump, who had originally endorsed Mills, later claimed that he had privately encouraged the embattled congressman to withdraw from the race.

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Recently, the veteran television journalist sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss his views on Iran, affordability, and immigration, while pledging to remain an independent voice in Congress, and a strong advocate for Volusia and Seminole counties.

Elijah did not take the decision to leave working in media lightly, but felt a call to leadership: 

"I love my job. It's something I could have retired from TV and been perfectly happy. But I think we all look for the time you're asked to step up and lead. And for me, that was this time. When we saw how the primary was playing out, it just became clear that we were going to lose this election in November. 

"And I decided that we had the connections in this community to throw our hat in the ring. We had the trust from the community and the primary played out a lot like we thought it would, where people wanted a choice. I think that's what primaries are all about in Seminole County and Volusia County spoke really loud. In that primary, and now I think they put us in a great spot to hold this seat in November."

Elijah pledges to put transparency and accountability front and center for the constituents of the seventh district:

"Well, I think transparency and accountability are huge issues. I think when I talk to people, they don't feel like they're heard very much in Washington. And I think that you have to be transparent about whatever you can. And first of all, if you have nothing to hide, that's the best way to be transparent because you can exactly show your business dealings and how your life dealings are. 

"And that's something we've talked about a lot…and then in terms of accountability, no one is above the law. And that's a message that Americans want to hear, whether you're a Democrat or Republican, there are laws for a reason, and we have to make sure those laws are upheld."

As the military engagement with Iran is rattling global energy markets and pinching Americans' pocketbooks, Elijah concedes the need to thwart a nuclear Iran, but also is wary of another forever war:

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"This is a decade-long issue and a conflict between Iran and its proxies, where they have targeted and they have killed Americans. So the U.S. military right now is trying to end that conflict. But as representatives, we have to listen to the American people. We have to listen to central Floridians. 

"And they have been very clear on this. They're concerned about it. They are concerned this is going to be a never-ending war. They don't want that. I don't want that either. I share that belief, which is why I think we need to draw this conflict down. And we need to make sure that Iran is not a nuclear threat."

On the immigration issue, Elijah cites improvement under GOP leadership on the issue, but argues that enforcement focus should remain on criminals:

"This is another issue where I think you have to look at where we've come from. When you let tens of millions of illegal people into this country, you're going to have issues that take a long time to fix. And I think if you look at the way there has to be a federal, a local, and a state cooperation with immigration, that's what it takes to work. Which is why when I talk to all the sheriffs in our district that are endorsing us, they're handling immigration much better than other parts around the country because they have that cooperation. 

"We need to start with the criminals. We have got many criminals still here illegally in the United States. That's what they focused on in central Florida. That's what ICE needs to focus on, removing the criminals. And there's a compassionate way to handle this as we've got an issue that is not going to be fixed in just six or 12 months."

Elijah consistently emphasizes that he will be an independent voice for the district, not a partisan rubber stamp:

"Well, I've said a lot. Look, I ran in this primary without the president's endorsement. I've been an independent voice in this and I've told a lot of people that ask me that question. 

"As you can imagine, I go to a lot of doors. That's a question: 'Will you support the president? Will you not support the president?' And what I tell them is, if it's a policy that supports our country and supports our district, I'm going to support that policy. 

"More often than not, I will because I'm a Republican. I like a lot of those policies. If there's a policy I disagree with, we won't. So in that situation, that's where things are at."

Finally, Elijah acknowledges that affordability, while lacking a quick and easy fix, is the defining 2026 issue for much of the electorate:

"I think the number one thing that we hear from people, and that's affordability, and that's not an easy fix, but I think what they want out of government is accountability. We talked about that before, that government is going to be accountable on its spending, on its policies, and getting inflation down, which is going to lower interest rates. It's going to lower the cost of living. 

"People in Central Florida, people around the country, they want to be heard. And what they're saying in a very clear tone right now is make sure that you control government spending and protect the future of our children. That's probably the biggest thing I want them to notice."

Elijah will be facing Navy veteran and former NASA employee Bale Dalton in the November 3 general election.