U.S. Congressional candidates

The following congressional candidates are running for the U.S. Congressional seat in District 7 and will appear on the Primary Election ballot: Jennifer Adams, Mike Johnson, Allek Pastrana, Tatiana Fernandez and incumbent Cory Mills. Johnson and Mills will be on the ballot for those voters registered as Republican and Adams, and Pastrana and Fernandez will appear on the ballot for those registered Democratic.

OCN created a profile for each candidate and we sent each candidate a list of questions that we collected from our readers and residents of Greater Oviedo and Winter Springs, or formulated based on the priorities our readers shared with the OCN team. Each candidate within a specific race received the same list of questions and the questions were sent to each candidate at the same time. They all had a 50-word limit for each question and their answers were only edited for grammar and clarity. The Q&A is at the end of this article.

Unfortunately, none of the congressional candidates responded to the Q&A request, which was sent multiple times to each candidate. Because the guide has been published with the candidates’ responses it cannot be edited to include any additional candidate responses out of fairness and to protect the authenticity of the guide. 

What do U.S. Congressional members do?

Representatives, or congressmen and congresswomen, represent a set number of constituents within a defined district within their respective state. There are 435 members of the House who each serve two-year terms. 

Examples of what the U.S. House of Representatives oversees: 

• Representatives introduce bills and resolutions 
• Offer amendments
• Serve on committees 
• Fund government functions and programs
• Oversee the executive branch 
• Make and pass federal laws

U.S. Senators make $174,000.

Candidates (listed in alphabetical order to ensure fairness)

Jennifer Adams

Jennifer Adams is a Democratic candidate running for Florida’s District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

She has more than 15 years of experience in community engagement and legislative policymaking, according to her website.

She is endorsed by the Seminole County Democratic Party, State Senators Lori Berman, Tina Polsky, Tracie Davis and Shevrin Jones; Sheriff John Mina; property appraiser Amy Mercado; City Commissioner Tony Ortiz;  IBEW Local 606; and Iron Workers Local 808. 

She has $60,298 in campaign finance support from both in-state and out-of-state. Of this, 86.6% of the money comes from in-state. Learn more.

Tatiana Fernandez

Tatiana Fernandez is a 53-year-old Democratic candidate running for Florida’s District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

She has lived in Lake Mary since 2007. She is president of Pantera Technical Services Corp. She was a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives in 2022 and an extended congressional delegate for Puerto Rico.

When asked about endorsements, Fernandez campaign staff member Angel Diaz told Oviedo Community News that Fernandez would not be seeking endorsements, but is proud to have friends in many caucuses that favor education, disability support, women’s rights and health.

In addition to the aforementioned education and disability support, she is also running on a platform focused on small-business development, health care for all, housing and rental affordability, supporting veterans, women’s rights, and more.
She has $15,449 in funds raised for this campaign, with $15,000 of it coming from herself. Learn more.

Michael “Mike” Johnson

Michael “Mike” Johnson is a Republican candidate for Florida’s District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a former member of the U.S. Army.

He aims to “cut wasteful spending, protect our borders, support our military and veterans, push back against radical Democrat agendas, and preserve our constitutional rights.” He also says he wants to “push for renewing pro-life legislation that other members wrote and sponsored.” He has raised over $36,000 for his campaign. Learn more.

Cory Mills

Cory Mills is a 43-year-old Republican candidate running as an incumbent for Florida’s District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He is a co-founder of Pacem Solution International, LLC and Pacem Defense, LLC. He is also an Army combat veteran with the 82nd Airborne Division and Joint Special Operations Command and says he cares deeply about veteran support, according to his website. 

He was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for his actions which saved members of his team and U.S. military service members.

He has signed, enacted and/or adopted three bills as a representative, according to Bill Track 50. One of the bills was to amend the protection of the Hunting Heritage and Education Act. 

According to his website, he is endorsed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Volusia GOP, Congresswoman Yvette Herrell of New Mexico, Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne of Texas, and 19 more. He has raised $1,080,648 in campaign contributions from both in and out of state. Learn more.

Allek Pastrana

Allek Pastrana is a Democratic candidate running for Florida’s District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is pursuing a degree in cybersecurity.

According to his website, he thinks the state minimum wage should be $15 and that higher education should be free to everyone regardless of income. He thinks the legislation should lower military spending and that marijuana should be legalized as long as it is taxable. He also supports Medicare for all and that healthcare decisions on reproductive health should be between the patient and doctor.
He is endorsed by the Seminole County Democratic Party, the Progressives for Democracy in America Central Florida Chapter, Florida Rising, and Lake Helen Mayor Vernon Burton. He has raised more than $39,000 in total campaign finances as of June 30. Learn more.

Do you have questions or comments about this guide? Contact OCN staff here.