Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican Who Defied Trump, Loses Kentucky Primary
Elizabeth Melimopoulos
Rep. Thomas Massie, a rare Republican who openly challenged President Donald Trump, lost his Kentucky primary on Tuesday. The outcome is seen as another win for Trump's effort to punish party dissenters.
With about 72% of the vote counted, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein led with 54.4% to Massie’s 45.6%. The Associated Press confirmed Gallrein’s victory; he was endorsed by President Trump and backed by millions of dollars from pro-Trump and pro-Israel lobbying groups.
The primary was described as the most expensive House race in U.S. history, with over $32 million spent on advertising. It came just days after another Trump critic, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, lost his primary last weekend, and after the defeats of dissident state lawmakers in Indiana earlier this month.
“Massie got taken down by Trump. Donald Trump is the sun, the moon and the stars in the Kentucky GOP,” said Republican strategist TJ Litafik of Kentucky.
The Kentucky vote was closely watched as a test of whether Trump’s influence over Republican voters remains solid. Despite concerns over the Iran conflict, rising inflation and his sliding approval rating, the race asked whether there is still room for lawmakers willing to break with him.
Massie angered President Trump by opposing U.S. military action in Iran and Venezuela, criticizing aid to Israel, opposing parts of the president’s agenda, and supporting efforts to release documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump spent months attacking Massie, calling him a “fool,” a “weirdo,” and “a major political scumbag.”
“Dealing with him is terrible. I don’t think he’s a Republican … He’s not a conservative,” Trump told reporters after polls opened Tuesday.
Massie, who voted with Trump about 90% of the time during the president’s second term, framed the race as a broader test of independence within the GOP. “I’m not running against President Trump. Most of the people who vote for me support President Trump, same as I do,” Massie said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a rare appearance in Massie’s district on Monday to campaign for Gallrein. Federal law restricts government employees from engaging in partisan political activities while on duty, but Hegseth’s office said he attended in a personal capacity and did not use taxpayer funds. Trump later revealed that Hegseth’s appearance came just hours before the U.S. was set to conduct a new military strike against Iran, though the operation was subsequently postponed.
Several U.S. states, including Georgia and Pennsylvania, held primaries on Tuesday ahead of the November midterms, but the Kentucky race emerged as one of the most closely watched contests of the night. Massie, first elected in 2012, has long been one of the most persistent Republican critics of Trump.
