Noah Widmann drops out of race against Cory Mills, endorses Bale Dalton

Democrat Noah Widmann has ended his challenge of U.S. Rep. Cory Mills. Instead, the lawyer is endorsing former NASA Chief of Staff Bale Dalton, who entered the race in November.

In a statement, Widmann spoke about his family as he ended his candidacy.

“I ran for Congress to deliver real, honest leadership to Central Florida. I grew up on food stamps and Medicaid, working nights to get through college and support my daughter, and throughout this campaign I’ve heard countless stories from our neighbors in this community about the economic pain they’re feeling right now,” Widmann said.

“There is no higher priority than defeating America’s most corrupt Congressman Cory Mills and flipping control of the House of Representatives to Democrats so we can finally deliver relief to the residents of this district. A contested primary only makes that harder. To that end, I spoke with Bale Dalton today about our shared desire to tackle high costs, restore recently cut health care, and secure retirement for folks in our community and I’m proud to endorse his campaign.”

Mills remains the subject of a House Ethics investigation involving accusations he profited from defense contracts while serving in Congress. It was recently expanded to include investigations of sexual misconduct. That includes allegations from girlfriend Sarah Raviani that he assaulted her in their shared Washington apartment, accusations she later recanted, and from ex-girlfriend Lindsey Langston that he threatened to share intimate photos after a breakup.

The House Ethics Committee named an Investigative Subcommittee regarding Mills’ case. That includes Republican U.S. Reps. Andrew Garbarino and Rudy Yakym, as well as Democratic U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Suhas Subramanyam.

Widmann filed to challenge Mills in May and quickly emerged as a fundraising leader in the race, outraising Mills in two consecutive quarters.

As of the end of September, Widmann had more than $197,000 in cash on hand compared to Mills’ $134,000.

Dalton, who will file his first fundraising report this month, jumped into the race touting his experience as a Navy veteran in Iraq and his work with NASA. He quickly announced the endorsement of former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who served as NASA Administrator under President Joe Biden.

Now he has Widmann’s support as well.

“Bale shares the urgency of this moment and the commitment needed to win in November. I encourage my supporters to stand with him as we work together to take back the House,” Widmann said. “I’m incredibly proud of what we built together and deeply grateful to the thousands of supporters who believed in this campaign from day one.”

Dalton welcomed the support.

“I’m honored and grateful to receive Noah’s endorsement. Thank you, Noah Widmann, for your support — and for your commitment to the place we both love and call home,” he posted on X.

Florida’s 7th Congressional District is one of four GOP-held seats in Florida listed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a “district in play.”

Dalton faces Jennifer Adams, Mills’ 2024 opponent, and fellow Navy veteran Marialana Kinter in a Democratic Primary.