“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.”

Ryan Elijah · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-14

Elijah explained his decision to leave media and run for Congress after concluding the incumbent was at risk of losing the Republican-leaning district.