U.S. House, District 7
Represents Florida's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives; votes on federal laws and spending. Term: 2 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
AP/NPR/Roll Call (Aug 18, 2026) report Ryan Elijah defeated incumbent Cory Mills in the Republican primary; FOX 35 and a syndicated report state Elijah will face Democrat Bale Dalton in November ; ; . No incumbent is on the November ballot. NPA/write-in candidates not confirmed. Florida's Legislature passed a new congressional map in the April 2026 special session (Senate vote 21-17 on April 29, 2026) and the Florida Supreme Court on June 10, 2026 declined (6-1) to block it, so the new district lines apply to the Nov. 3, 2026 election; litigation on the merits continues. ; ; County list reflects pre-2026 district boundaries unless a 2026 source is cited; boundaries changed under the April 2026 map and the exact new county composition was not confirmed in searches run for this guide.
Debates and forums
- None. Roll Call's Oct. 1 round-up covered Dalton's anticorruption plan but reported no FL-07 debate; the WESH 2 proposal remains unaccepted. (No debate scheduled - unchanged (checked 2026-10-07))
Ryan Elijah (R), Bale Dalton (D), Christopher Dennison (L)
Candidates
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Ryan Elijah
Ryan Elijah, a former television news anchor, won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary in the 7th District, leading incumbent Rep. Cory Mills about 47% to 34% with more than 95% of votes counted, per AP. Mills, who had been endorsed by President Trump, was the subject of an ongoing House Ethics investigation. Elijah i…
Bale Dalton
Bale Dalton is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served 24 years in the Navy and Navy Reserve, including 13 on active duty, flying medevac missions in Kuwait, delivering relief after Hurricane Katrina and directing combat air support in Afghanistan (campaign site; Florida Politics). He later worked at the State Depart…
Christopher Dennison
Qualified for the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot according to the Florida Division of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list (Qualified). A search on Oct. 7, 2026 — campaign materials, the League of Women Voters' Vote411 guide, Ballotpedia's candidate survey and local news coverage — found no public statements on the is…
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Ryan Elijah Republican | Bale Dalton Democratic | Christopher Dennison Libertarian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Leans agree· stated position In his first general-election ad, 'At Every Turn,' released Sept. 23, Elijah said he would keep taxes low and bring down gas and grocery bills, and attacked Dalton over tax cuts on tips, overtime and seniors. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Responding on Sept. 23 to Elijah's first ad, Dalton said he supports making the tax cuts on tips, overtime and Social Security permanent, while accusing Elijah of supporting cuts to Medicaid and of backing tariffs. | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Supports restricting Wall Street investment in single-family housing to help affordability. | No public position found |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Leans agree· stated position Says the rule of law must be enforced and borders secured. | No public position found | No public position found |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly disagrees· stated position Describes himself as pro-life. | Strongly agrees· stated position Opposes Florida's six-week abortion ban and supports writing the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law (Smarter.Vote summary of his stated positions). | No public position found |
| GunsGun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age). | Strongly disagrees· stated position Describes himself as a staunch Second Amendment supporter with an NRA 'A' rating. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Describes the Second Amendment as a fundamental right for law-abiding citizens and identifies as a gun owner, while saying gun owners should be well-trained, violent criminals should not have access to firearms, and police should be adequately funded; no position on specific Florida gun laws was found. | No public position found |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Leans disagree· stated position Favors patient-centered options, expanded health savings accounts and price transparency. | Strongly agrees· stated position Told News 6 that Congress 'let the ACA subsidies expire,' leaving 45,000 people in the district uninsured and raising premiums for 150,000 families; supports expanding ACA protections and negotiating prescription prices, and lists reversing premium hikes as a first priority. | No public position found |
| Social Security & MedicareSocial Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Lists 'protecting Social Security and Medicare' among his positions; no statement on revenue was found. | No public position found |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Strongly agrees· stated position Champions parental rights and school choice. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Under a 'Keeping Florida Wild' heading, Dalton's priorities page supports protecting Florida's natural areas and opposes offshore drilling near Florida's coasts, while also backing energy independence. | No public position found |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Strongly disagrees· stated position Backs the Save America Act so only citizens can vote. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Leans agree· stated position Describes himself as a strong defender of law enforcement. | Leans agree· stated position Dalton's priorities page says public safety is a core government responsibility and calls for police departments to be fully funded with the resources they need. | No public position found |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | Strongly agrees· stated position In releases on Sept. 23 and Sept. 24 Elijah's campaign attacked Dalton's answer on gender-affirming care for minors, saying government should pass laws to protect children from such care. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Asked by News 6 Orlando on Sept. 9 whether transgender medical care should be available to patients under 18, Dalton said it is a decision for families and doctors and that the federal government has no business in it. After Elijah's campaign highlighted the answer, Dalton said on Sept. 24 that he does not want boys in girls' sports or children receiving irreversible medical care, and called the question settled law in Florida. | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | Leans disagree· stated position Calls lower gas prices critical and backs American energy independence. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Dalton's priorities page endorses an 'all-of-the-above' energy policy that supports both natural gas and solar industries. | No public position found |
| Tariffs & tradeTariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy. | Leans disagree· stated position Told News 6 that tariffs do not help affordability and that as 'a free-business person' he has 'never been a fan' of them, while noting possible benefits from manufacturing returning to Florida. | Strongly disagrees· stated position His priorities page calls for reversing 'illegal, unpredictable tariffs' as part of making Florida affordable. Sources: Bale Dalton campaign: Priorities | No public position found |
| UkraineThe U.S. should continue military aid to Ukraine. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | No public position found | Leans disagree· stated position Criticizes administration tariffs as 'illegal' and says Washington politicians have pursued 'policies that have made a mess of our economy.' | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Dalton, a retired Navy captain, says every American who serves should receive the benefits earned through service and supports veteran support systems. | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Elijah | 1.00 (3 statements) | 1.71 (7 statements) |
| Bale Dalton | -0.80 (5 statements) | -0.50 (6 statements) |
| Christopher Dennison | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Ryan Elijah
- Affordability first — Says affordability is the first issue he would tackle in Congress.
- Congressional stock trading — Says no member of Congress should be able to sit on a committee and trade stocks.
- Health-care costs and innovation — Says the federal government 'can do more to lower healthcare costs' and that the U.S. must lead in medical innovation; FOX 35 reports he favors expanding tax benefits for health care.
- Energy independence — Lists American energy independence as a way to lower costs.
- Family values and faith — Campaign site says he is active in his church and believes in protecting family values.
- Iran, Israel, 2020 election, stock trading, data centers — In a Sept. 8 interview Elijah said the Iran conflict's timeline has been frustrating; said Israel is a key ally but that support should not be unconditional and that he is not taking AIPAC money; said plainly that the 2020 election was not stolen and Joe Biden was elected; supported restricting stock trading by members on relevant committees; and said data-center siting should be handled at the state level.
- Ethics complaint over financial disclosure — An ethics complaint was filed against Elijah alleging he did not properly detail his assets. He filed an updated disclosure on Sept. 16. Dalton has continued to raise the matter.
- First general-election ad — Elijah's campaign began airing 'At Every Turn' online and on television in Central Florida on Sept. 23, focused on affordability.
- Reported answer on a candidate form about trading stocks in office — Roll Call reported that Dalton criticized Elijah for indicating on a candidate form that he would trade stocks if elected. Elijah's own response was not included in the report.
- Stock trading — Elijah said he checked 'I do' on the state form about trading stocks because he was unsure how his retirement account would be handled, that he does not intend to trade stocks, and that he has campaigned on barring members of Congress from trading stocks while on committees that could give them privileged information.
- 'Bad Bet' ad — Elijah released an ad saying Dalton's financial disclosure shows investments in companies controlled by China's government; Dalton disputed it.
- Congressional stock trading — Elijah checked 'yes' on Florida's new SAVE Act form asking whether he intends to trade stocks in office, but now says he won't, and that he has "actively campaigned against congressional stock trading." He said he will decide how to handle his portfolio by January.
Bale Dalton
- Wall Street ownership of single-family homes — Would restrict institutional investment in single-family housing.
- Prescription drug price negotiation — Supports negotiating prescription drug prices.
- National and border security; overseas conflicts — Says he supports strong national and border security and opposes prolonged U.S. involvement in overseas conflicts without clear strategic goals.
- Veterans' benefits — Cites his work in Sen. Bill Nelson's office helping Florida veterans access earned care and benefits.
- Congressional self-enrichment — Campaign message criticizes politicians 'enriching themselves while our families foot the bill.'
- Iran, data centers, stock trading, campaign money — In a Sept. 8 interview Dalton called the Iran conflict a 'war of choice' with no clear strategy; said local governments should have veto power over data centers; said he has pledged not to trade individual stocks; and said he has taken no AIPAC money.
- Calls for a debate — Dalton has pressed for weeks for a debate with Elijah, noting that Elijah had pushed U.S. Rep. Cory Mills to debate during the Republican primary. Elijah has not committed to a WESH-proposed debate that would also include Libertarian Christopher Dennison.
- Fundraising with national Democrats — DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene was scheduled to raise money for Dalton on Sept. 25 as part of a Florida swing with battleground House candidates.
- Released an anti-corruption plan — Dalton released a plan on Oct. 1 that would ban members of Congress from trading stocks, bar federal employees and elected officials from betting on prediction markets, strip taxpayer-funded pensions from members found guilty of ethics violations or who resign during an ethics investigation, require the House Ethics Committee to act faster and more openly, and subject members' finances to independent audits.
- Ad on opponent's stock-trading disclosure — Dalton released an ad saying Republican Ryan Elijah indicated on a state disclosure form that he intends to trade stocks in Congress; the ad also criticizes Elijah on the economy, tariffs and the Iran war.
- Congressional stock trading — Dalton supports banning stock trading by members of Congress and says his holdings will go in a blind trust: "My holdings will be in a blind trust where I don't have any visibility into what they are."
Christopher Dennison
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.