Two of Florida’s federal lawmakers who are facing calls to resign are both in considerable campaign debt as they attempt to salvage their political careers, according to new disclosures filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission.
The campaign committee of Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who was found guilty by the House Ethics Committee for illegally funneling money to her own campaign, owes a total of more than $4.3 million to several creditors.
The most notable of those creditors is Cherfilus-McCormick, who has personally loaned her campaign more than $3.6 million since 2021.
Legal fees account for most of the rest of Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign debt, with the Elias Law Group — led by Democratic superlawyer Marc Elias — owed nearly $550,000. Two other firms, Ice Miller LLP and Kaiser PLLC, are each owed more than $50,000, per the FEC filing.
Trending
Her campaign also owes about $61,439 to Angerholzer Broz Consulting for “fundraising and compliance” fees.
FEC records indicate Cherfilus-McCormick entered April with less than $107,000 cash on hand after having raised less than $11,000 during the first three months of 2026 — a paltry amount relative to what most incumbent members of Congress would raise at the beginning of an election year.
Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who faces several accusations of domestic violence, stolen valor and financial misconduct, owes just more than $2 million.
Mills’ campaign is primarily indebted to Mills himself, who has loaned his campaign nearly $1.9 million since 2021. The campaign also owes $34,766 in legal consulting fees and $10,125 in “disputed legal fees.”
Mills’ campaign raised less than $71,000 during the first three months of this year. The campaign entered April with less than $116,000 cash on hand, according to the new FEC filing.
The Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills campaigns did not respond to NOTUS’ requests for comment.
Democrats have made Mills’ legal troubles a key attack point in his campaign to win reelection and keep Florida’s 7th Congressional District red.
In January, the central Florida district moved slightly on the Cook Political Report’s ratings from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican.” Democrats are optimistic about Navy veteran Bale Dalton’s chances of flipping the seat, which the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee considers in play this midterms.
“At this point, it’s hard to tell if Cory Mills is running a campaign for Congress or a legal charity fund for himself,” DCCC spokesperson Madison Andrus said.
While Cherfilus-McCormick’s safe Democratic district is not one Republicans are targeting, the National Republican Congressional Committee has called out other Democrats for staying silent on her corruption charges.
“Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty of 25 ethics violations and is under federal indictment for stealing $5 million in taxpayer dollars. It’s high time she does something right for once and resign from Congress.” NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole told NOTUS.
Calls for accountability have grown louder since Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas and Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California both resigned this week over accusations of sexual misconduct.
This article has been updated to include comment from the NRCC.
Author
