Republican Rep. Thomas Massie loses Kentucky primary
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks during a campaign event ahead of the primary election at Veterans Memorial Park on Monday, May 18, 2026 in Vanceburg, Kentucky, USA. The primary election in Kentucky will be held on May 19.
Jeffrey Dean | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by President Donald Trump, defeated incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie in the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th congressional district on Tuesday; It was the latest in a series of successful attempts by the president to outmaneuver his political rivals.
The Associated Press, NBC News and other outlets called the race less than two hours after the first polls closed on Tuesday night. At the time the race was called, Massie was nearly nine percentage points behind.
Massie has represented the district since 2012 and is known as an opponent within the House GOP ranks. The libertarian-leaning conservative led the charge against Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to release files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein over Trump’s initial opposition. And he has occasionally voted against Republican priorities in the House.
Her independence drew the ire of Trump, who repeatedly attacked Massie and made it his mission to oust her.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: “The worst Congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party is Thomas Massie. He is an obstructionist and a fool. Vote to impeach him tomorrow, Tuesday. It will be a great day for America! President DJT.” later republished on Tuesday.
Massie becomes the latest casualty of Trump’s revenge tour; because it shows that the President still has considerable influence with Republican voters.
Earlier this month, Trump waged a successful campaign to oust a group of Indiana state Republicans who opposed the redistricting effort. Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in 2021 after the House impeached him, finished third in the Louisiana primary over the weekend and will not advance to a runoff. Trump had supported Rep. Julia Letlow, who finished first in the contest.
On Tuesday, Trump added Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to the list to be punished for not being loyal enough. Trump supported Cornyn’s primary opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“John Cornyn is a good man and I worked well with him, but he did not support me during my difficult times and during my First Term, despite having the Most Successful Economy in the History of Our Country and many other things I accomplished.” Trump shared To Truth Social.
The primary between Gallrein and Massie was the most expensive primary in history, with $32.6 million spent on advertising. Advertising Effect. Of that, $7.9 million was used to fund attack ads targeting Massie as money from Trump allies and pro-Israel groups flowed into the area. Massie is anti-interventionist and voted against aid to Israel.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took the unusual step of traveling to the region to campaign against Massie, despite a federal law that prohibits sitting cabinet officials from engaging in politics in their official capacities.
Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth was in Kentucky “in a personal capacity” and that his appearance was “thoroughly reviewed and approved by attorneys.”
