Trump Scores Major Primary Victory, Ousting Longtime GOP Critic Thomas Massie

In a decisive blow to one of President Donald Trump’s most persistent Republican opponents, Congressman Thomas Massie has been defeated in Kentucky’s Republican primary by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL strongly backed by Trump.

Gallrein will now advance to the November midterm elections after prevailing in what became the most expensive House primary race in U.S. history. The result underscores Trump’s enduring and formidable influence over the party he continues to reshape more than a decade after first capturing its leadership.

Trump had personally targeted Massie, repeatedly branding the libertarian-leaning incumbent as a “major sleazebag” and “the worst Republican congressman in history.” The president urged voters to reject Massie, who had defied him on several high-profile issues, including opposing massive tax and spending legislation over ballooning national debt concerns, limiting certain military actions in the Caribbean and Iran, and pushing for full disclosure of Jeffrey Epstein files from the Department of Justice.

Even as polls closed, Massie rallied supporters with an “America First” message, mocking the last-minute appearance of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Kentucky. “They panicked and sent the Secretary of War here,” he declared to cheering crowds.

Massie, who has represented his district since 2012, maintained that he voted with Trump 90% of the time, but drew a firm line on issues like warrantless surveillance, new wars, and unchecked spending. “It’s only the 10% they’re mad about,” he said, insisting he was simply keeping the promises made to Kentucky voters.

In a separate but related development Tuesday night, Congressman Andy Barr secured the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by longtime Senator Mitch McConnell after more than four decades in office. Trump had endorsed Barr, and the race drew little drama after the president reportedly offered an ambassadorship to Barr’s main challenger.

The Kentucky results fit into a larger pattern of Trump flexing his endorsement muscle to settle old scores and consolidate power. He has recently worked to unseat incumbents who crossed him, including a senator who voted to convict him during the 2021 impeachment trial. In Texas, Trump has thrown his support behind Attorney General Ken Paxton over longtime Senator John Cornyn, stating that while Cornyn is “a good man,” he failed to stand with him during difficult times.

The message from Tuesday’s primaries is unmistakable: within today’s Republican Party, loyalty to Trump remains a powerful litmus test, and open defiance carries an increasingly heavy political price.