Ryan Elijah

“Well, I think transparency and accountability are huge issues. I think when I talk to people, they don't feel like they're heard very much in Washington. And I think that you have to be transparent about whatever you can. And first of all, if you have nothing to hide, that's the best way to be transparent because you can exactly show your business dealings and how your life dealings are.”

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

Elijah pledged to make transparency and accountability central priorities for constituents of the seventh district.

“And they have been very clear on this. They're concerned about it. They are concerned this is going to be a never-ending war. They don't want that. I don't want that either. I share that belief, which is why I think we need to draw this conflict down. And we need to make sure that Iran is not a nuclear threat.”

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

Elijah warned against a never-ending war with Iran while stressing the need to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear threat.

“This is another issue where I think you have to look at where we've come from. When you let tens of millions of illegal people into this country, you're going to have issues that take a long time to fix. And I think if you look at the way there has to be a federal, a local, and a state cooperation with immigration, that's what it takes to work. Which is why when I talk to all the sheriffs in our district that are endorsing us, they're handling immigration much better than other parts around the country because they have that cooperation.”

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

Elijah discussed immigration, citing cooperation between federal, local, and state authorities in central Florida.

“As you can imagine, I go to a lot of doors. That's a question: ‘Will you support the president? Will you not support the president?’ And what I tell them is, if it's a policy that supports our country and supports our district, I'm going to support that policy.”

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

Elijah described how voters at their doors ask whether he will support the president and how he responds.

“And I decided that we had the connections in this community to throw our hat in the ring. We had the trust from the community and the primary played out a lot like we thought it would, where people wanted a choice. I think that's what primaries are all about in Seminole County and Volusia County spoke really loud. In that primary, and now I think they put us in a great spot to hold this seat in November.”

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

Elijah discussed his primary victory and his belief that voters in Seminole and Volusia counties wanted a choice.

“More often than not, I will because I'm a Republican. I like a lot of those policies. If there's a policy I disagree with, we won't. So in that situation, that's where things are at.”

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

Elijah stated he would support policies that help the country and district and disagree with policies he opposes.

“People in Central Florida, people around the country, they want to be heard. And what they're saying in a very clear tone right now is make sure that you control government spending and protect the future of our children. That's probably the biggest thing I want them to notice.”

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

Elijah said voters want to be heard on controlling government spending and protecting the future of children.

“Well, I've said a lot. Look, I ran in this primary without the president's endorsement. I've been an independent voice in this and I've told a lot of people that ask me that question.”

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

Elijah noted he ran in the primary without the president's endorsement and positioned himself as an independent voice.

“This is a decade-long issue and a conflict between Iran and its proxies, where they have targeted and they have killed Americans. So the U.S. military right now is trying to end that conflict. But as representatives, we have to listen to the American people. We have to listen to central Floridians.”

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

Elijah discussed the conflict with Iran and the need to listen to the American people on the issue.

“We need to start with the criminals. We have got many criminals still here illegally in the United States. That's what they focused on in central Florida. That's what ICE needs to focus on, removing the criminals. And there's a compassionate way to handle this as we've got an issue that is not going to be fixed in just six or 12 months.”

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

Elijah argued that immigration enforcement should prioritize removing criminals and called for a compassionate approach.

“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.

“I think the number one thing that we hear from people, and that's affordability, and that's not an easy fix, but I think what they want out of government is accountability. We talked about that before, that government is going to be accountable on its spending, on its policies, and getting inflation down, which is going to lower interest rates. It's going to lower the cost of living.”

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

Elijah identified affordability as the top issue he hears from voters and called for government spending accountability.

“And that's something we've talked about a lot…and then in terms of accountability, no one is above the law. And that's a message that Americans want to hear, whether you're a Democrat or Republican, there are laws for a reason, and we have to make sure those laws are upheld.”

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

Elijah emphasized that no one is above the law as part of his accountability message.