Trump purges another Republican critic
US President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans with Kentucky’s Thomas Massie losing the primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers challenging Trump.
Massie, who angered Trump by leading a push to release Justice Department files on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was defeated by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by the president and backed by heavy foreign spending by pro-Israel groups.
The contest offered the latest evidence of Trump’s dominance over Republicans.
This comes after another Trump critic, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, was ousted in Saturday’s primary and opposing state lawmakers lost in the Indiana primary on May 5.
Gallrein embraced the role Trump gave him and focused his pitch to voters on his personal history and his unwavering loyalty to the president.
“Massie fell for Trump. Donald Trump is the sun, moon and stars of the Republican Party in Kentucky,” said TJ Litafik, a Kentucky-based Republican strategist.
But rather than signaling broader appeal for the president, Massie’s defeat underlined Trump’s dominance among party activists shaping the primary results; although falling approval ratings and high gas prices raise questions about the party’s chances of reaching a broader base of voters in November’s midterm elections.
Massie incurred Trump’s ire by successfully leading pressure to release Justice Department files on Epstein and his criticisms of the Iran war.
The contest between the libertarian-leaning Massie and Gallrein was the most expensive US House primary in history, costing more than US$32 million ($45 million) in advertising expenditures.
Other primaries take place Tuesday in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania, helping shape the battleground for November elections in which Democrats aim to take control of the House of Representatives and potentially the Senate despite Republican gains in the national redistricting fight.
with AP
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