NOTUS: “House Democrats think they can expand their 2026 midterm map to include a couple of typically safe red districts because the incumbents have twin vulnerabilities: weak fundraising and ethics issues.
Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills faced allegations of stolen valor, domestic violence and shady business dealings this campaign cycle, and those issues appear to have deteriorated his campaign’s ability to bring in cash.
Last fall, between October and December, Mills raised a mere $61,000 — incredibly low numbers from a candidate who had never struggled to raise well over $100,000, often more than $200,000, every quarter since his election in 2022.
In that same time period, Bale Dalton, his Democratic challenger, a Navy veteran and former NASA chief of staff, raisedmore than $343,000.
“My message is: Life is too expensive, and Cory Mills is too corrupt to fix it,” Dalton told NOTUS in an interview.
Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia, Tennessee, and Democrat challenging Rep. Andy Ogles, senses a similar opportunity. Although the district also historically votes Republican, Molder raised well over $1 million in the last two quarters of 2025, compared to Ogles’ $209,000 in that same period, as the congressman attempts to fend off an investigation into alleged campaign finance violations.
“We are talking to everyone,” Molder told NOTUS in an interview, “because we understand we have to bring people together and bring voters to our side that have perhaps voted for Andy Ogles in the past, that are disappointed with their vote because they see what kind of ineffective leader he has been.””