Ryan Elijah discusses projected victory in Florida's 7th District 7 race

And our You Decide coverage now. Republican Ryan Elijah, the projected winner of District 7. That covers parts of Volusia and Seminole counties. Over the weekend, state election officials decided no recount was necessary. The results are set to be certified a week from today. And joining us live this morning for the first time as the representatives elect Ryan Elijah. This is so, this is just crazy. Our viewers know you as Ryan Elijah, the Fox 35 news anchor. And now look at you, six months later. later. Ryan, you have been elected to Congress. What a feeling. I can't imagine what's going through your mind right now. Talk to us. It's all surreal. I mean, great to be with you, by the way. So behind me, you probably can't see is the U.S. Capitol building. We're here at what is a 10-day new member orientation. And I think it's all surreal. You know, I'm like you. I love our American history. And to go through all this, to win a primary against an incumbent and then to win this type race and on a Tuesday night that was Not good for the Republican Party. It's just surreal to be able to represent our country. And in these 10 days, to represent this district and this community, that's what this is all about. To get yourself ready to go. We've already hired a chief of staff, so we're moving into all that. But this process right now, to be last night in the rotunda on Capitol Hill. It's really overwhelming. It's just a very special moment. It's a very proud moment. There's a picture of my wife and I, and that's what I love. The spouses are down here. And Amy, I wish everybody could see the bipartisan nature that's here. You know, in that picture right there, there are about 110 other members. This is the largest class we have seen in decades that we've seen as a new class in Congress. And to be part of that is great. I've had great discussions with Republicans and Democrats, and we are all excited to get to work. Ryan, what made you want to do this? What sort of went into your thinking behind deciding, you know what, I really want to serve and change careers? I think that's it right there. I love what we did. You and I had a tremendous impact in this community. And I love that. And I could have retired happy in this career. I loved what I did at Fox 35 and in our career. But I always thought there was something else that God could lead me to do. And I believed it would serve the people in this capacity. And you don't know if that opportunity is ever going to come up. And there were so many things. I probably will write a book someday on all the things that happened over the past 18 months, because I still almost I almost have to pinch myself when I look at some of the things we We overcame some of the things that I could have never expected that went our way that did. And last night, I was actually voted by the Florida delegation to be on the policy, which is going to help us deliver more and to continue to have that support from the community. That's the most humbling thing, Amy, is the people that step up, whether it's elected officials or just people that, like a man on Facebook today said, I crossed over party lines to vote for you because I believe in you. I mean, that is humbling, and that is why you do this. To make a difference. Look, Washington's broken. We know that. But I'm encouraged down here that the right people, one at a time, can make a difference. Right. Obviously, Tuesday was, you know, a big day as far as our country is concerned. And the blue wave was something that maybe a lot of people weren't expecting. You, in fact, you know, have a very divided district now. What is your message to these voters within Volusia and Seminole counties? That's a great question, because I think we kind of represent what we see across the country. You've got Volusia, Seminole, two very strong views of the administration on different sides and voted very different ways. And those are the people you represent. I tried to run our campaign explaining that, that every policy that comes up, everything we deal with, does it make our country, does it make our district better? And I think that's how you have to make decisions. That's how I intend to make decisions. And, you know, we will reach out bipartisan ways down here. Look, it's going to be hard. We're going to be the minority. And there was clearly, I don't even think Blue Wave was strong enough. This was something we've not seen in decades. One of the strongest pushes we have seen and change of party control that Washington has seen in a long time. And that's why we have our biggest freshman class we've seen in over a hundred years. So my message is the community comes first. And you have to have someone here that is here to serve you. And right now, the reaction has been very positive. I'm looking forward to that over the next two months, getting ready for this. Well, Ryan, we congratulate you. We are excited for you in this new chapter. And we thank you so much for taking the time to be with us this morning. And we look forward to keeping in touch. I look forward to it, too. It's going to be an exciting time down here. And we can't wait to get going. Thanks, Amy. Thanks so much. Ryan Olajide, Representative-elect District 7.