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Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary on Tuesday. It was another test of President Donald Trump’s power over his party after he picked challenger and eventual winner Ed Gallrein to oust the incumbent.
The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN And NBC News Everyone predicted Trump-backed Gallrein as the winner on Tuesday.
The result showed the president’s continued influence over Republican voters, adding to a growing number of Trump-backed primary candidates who defeated Republican lawmakers who angered him in his second term, including Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana and several Indiana state senators who opposed him in redistricting.
Massie, who has been in Congress since 2012, is one of the last and most determined holdouts. He pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, criticized the war in Iran and voted against the tax law signed by the president last year. Still, he tried to convince voters that they could be for both him and Trump.
The evening after the first result was announced, Massie took the stage in front of an enthusiastic crowd that cheered and chanted throughout his speech, including slogans such as “No more wars” and “America First!”
“A longing… for principles rather than party”: Massie
“We made a difference. There is a longing in this country for someone who will vote for principle rather than party,” Massie said.
He also criticized the unwavering loyalty to Trump in Congress: “If the legislature always votes no matter which way the wind blows, then we have mob rule,” he said. But if lawmakers follow the Constitution, “we have a republic.”
Gallrein gave a shorter, more subdued speech at his victory party in Covington, Kentucky, first thanking Trump for his support and leadership.
Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, relied on his military service and his loyalty to the president. He accused Massie of abandoning Trump and the party.
Gallrein is expected to win the general election in the deep red district against Democrat Melissa Strange.
Presidential visit to Kentucky
The president visited Kentucky in March to boost Gallrein.
The primary stalled in the final stages of the campaign as Massie recruited a phalanx of other Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, to show voters they could support both him and Trump.
Massie’s challenge was to win over voters who generally think favorably of Trump, the same man who tells them to vote for Gallrein. It wasn’t the first Republican primary that Trump tried to influence, but Massie’s open rebellion posed a particular challenge for the president.
Trump escalated his social media attacks on Massie, calling him “an obstructionist and a fool,” and Gallrein shared a stage with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday.
Gallrein welcomed the role Trump gave him and centered his voter appeal on his personal story and his unwavering loyalty to the president.
Also on Tuesday, Republicans across the state chose U.S. Rep. Andy Barr as their candidate to replace Mitch McConnellthe longtime leader of the U.S. Senate.
In a contest that marked a generational shift in the party, Barr, who was endorsed by Trump, edged out Daniel Cameron, a former attorney general who turned to his Christianity on the campaign trail.
