Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has lost the Republican primary for his seat to a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump, Ed Gallrein, in a victory for Trump that underscores the strength of the President’s influence over the party.
The Associated Press called the race Tuesday evening.
Massie, who has represented Kentucky’s fourth congressional district since 2012, faced what he described as “by far the most challenging” primary of his career as Trump repeatedly levied fierce attacks against him and, in a rare move, even dispatched Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to campaign for Gallrein in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election.
Massie emerged as one of Trump’s chief targets in his efforts to topple GOP opponents in the primaries ahead of this year’s midterm elections due to the maverick congressman’s frequent breaks with the President on key foreign and domestic issues.
Massie helped lead the push to force the full release of government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; he vocally opposed and voted against Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill; he has criticized U.S. financial supporting Israel; and he has been a staunch opponent to Trump’s war in Iran.
Gallrein, a farmer and retired Navy SEAL, was endorsed by Trump in October before he entered the race. In the spring, Trump touted Gallrein as a “true American hero” while standing beside him at an event in northern Kentucky. “He’s a great patriot,” the President said, “and he’s doing it because he saw what this guy was doing to our country.”
Gallrein tied his campaign tightly to Trump and characterized himself as a staunch loyalist, telling people in Kentucky at a campaign event on Thursday that he stands “100% behind the President and what he is doing to turn our nation around.” On Monday, he said that “there has never been a more important time to stand behind our President.”
Trump has meanwhile been vocal in his public criticism of Massie. In March, the President called Massie “disloyal to the Republican Party” and “disloyal to the people of Kentucky” while speaking in a warehouse in Hebron, at the heart of Kentucky’s fourth district. “And most importantly, he’s disloyal to the United States of America, and he’s got to be voted out of office as soon as possible!”
Massie has not backed down in the face of Trump’s assaults, however. “They’ve tried to turn me into a villain. The more they try to punish me, the more powerful I get,” he said at an election event on Monday.
Gallrein declined to debate against Massie on several occasions and opted not to attend events at which both were invited to speak—absences that Massie has been keen to make note of. The retired Navy SEAL has defended himself over his decision to forgo the opportunities to debate his opponent, telling voters in recent days, “I’m debating him every day. I’m talking right to the American people, just like the president does, with no middleman.”
The primary race was one of the most expensive in the country’s history, with more than $32 million spent on ads, according to AdImpact. Much of the advertising dollars have been spent by pro-Israel or Trump-aligned groups in the push to unseat Massie.
Trump’s effort to oust another GOP foe, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, met with victory days before the Kentucky primary; Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment and has been a long-time subject of the President’s anger,on Saturday lost the primary to his seat while Louisiana Rep. Julia Letlow, who was backed by the president, and another candidate advanced to a runoff.
Challengers backed by the President also scored notable wins earlier this month in state legislative primaries in Indiana, toppling multiple lawmakers who rejected Trump’s push for mid-cycle redistricting.
Gallrein is expected to go on to win the general election in the reliably red district in November. The Cook Political Report rates the seat as “Solid Republican,” among those deemed the least competitive this year.
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