US House: Anti-Trump 'Wild Card' Thomas Massie Loses Primary

Representative Thomas Massie, one of the most vocal Republican critics of President Donald Trump, lost his Kentucky primary to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who was endorsed by Trump. The outcome is seen as a major political victory for the president.

Massie had angered Trump by publicly opposing military action against Iran, sponsoring a bill that led to the release of records related to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and pushing back against parts of the president's agenda. His defeat in the most expensive U.S. House race in history—more than $34 million spent on advertising—further confirmed Trump's enduring sway over the Republican Party and the political risks facing GOP lawmakers who break with him.

The result also heightened fears among Trump critics within the party that there is increasingly little room to openly oppose the president.

Trump's Influence in Kentucky

The president succeeded in ousting the eight-term incumbent by backing Gallrein. Trump targeted Massie for breaking party discipline on key issues, including opposing the president's signature tax bill over national debt concerns, sponsoring the Epstein Records Transparency Act, and opposing the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.

Trump also heavily influenced the state's Senate race by endorsing Andy Barr and offering another 'MAGA' candidate, Nate Morris, an ambassadorship just weeks before the primary to encourage his withdrawal.

Record Spending and AIPAC's Role

The Massie-Gallrein race was the most expensive congressional primary in U.S. history, with over $34 million in ad spending. More than $19 million was spent supporting Gallrein, including nearly $9.4 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel groups. These outside groups targeted Massie for voting against U.S. aid to Israel.

Massie sought to expose the outsized role of pro-Israel groups in the race. “They’re sending the secretary of war to my district tomorrow. That’s why the president is losing sleep and tweeting about this. That’s why AIPAC dumped another $3 million into my race this weekend,” he said on ABC News.

Massie's Concession Speech

In an unusually long concession speech, Massie criticized absolute loyalty to the president. He argued that constitutional principles matter more than party allegiance and warned: “If the legislative branch always votes along with the president, we have a king.”

He also taunted Gallrein: “I would have shown up earlier, but I had to call my opponent and concede, and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv.”

Georgia: Governor and Senate Races Head to Runoffs

Georgia's Republican gubernatorial primary will go to a runoff on June 16 after no candidate secured a majority. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, backed by Trump, will face health-care billionaire Rick Jackson, who spent $83.5 million of his own money on the race.

The fierce competition eliminated two top state officials: Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who gained national attention for rejecting Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. Raffensperger spent millions to regain Republican voters' trust after publicly breaking with Trump.

The result shows the growing political risk for Republicans who openly oppose Trump, who continues to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen. The runoff winner will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won the Democratic nomination.

Georgia's Republican Senate primary will also go to a runoff on June 16, with Rep. Mike Collins facing former football coach Derek Dooley. The winner will take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Pennsylvania: Gov. Shapiro Set for Re-Election Bid

Pennsylvania's gubernatorial race is set after both major-party candidates won their primaries unopposed. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will face state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a close Trump ally. Shapiro, also seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, is expected to focus his campaign on opposing Trump's agenda.

Candidates backed by Shapiro won all three Democratic primaries in key state districts.

Alabama: Race Overshadowed by Map Dispute

Alabama's Senate race is set with Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville facing former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. The race to replace Tuberville in the Senate will also go to runoffs for both parties.

But attention in Alabama focused on confusion surrounding congressional races after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed Republicans to redraw district lines. Gov. Kay Ivey postponed elections in four of Alabama's seven House districts to August 11, meaning more than 100,000 votes already cast Tuesday may be invalidated. Civil rights groups criticized the changes as weakening Black voting rights.

Oregon: Governor Race Rematch of 2022

Oregon's gubernatorial race will be a rematch of the 2022 election after state Sen. Christine Drazan won the Republican primary. She will face Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. Oregon has not elected a Republican governor in more than 40 years.

Voters also overwhelmingly rejected a Democratic-backed proposal to increase the state gas tax by 6 cents amid high fuel prices linked to the Iran war. Oregon's most competitive House race is set, with Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum facing Republican County Commissioner Patti Adair.

Idaho: Key November Races Set

Idaho voters set several key state races. Republican Gov. Brad Little will face Democratic nominee Terri Pickens. Republican Sen. Jim Risch will run against Democrat David Roth. House primaries are set, with Kaylee Peterson winning the Democratic nomination in District 1.