US Rep. Thomas Massie loses Kentucky GOP primary to Ed Gallrein in
another victory for Trump
[May 20, 2026]
By JESSE BEDAYN and DYLAN LOVAN
HEBRON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican
House primary Tuesday, becoming the latest Republican lawmaker to anger
President Donald Trump and then fall to a primary challenger backed by
the president.
Trump handpicked and endorsed Ed Gallrein, whose victory demonstrated
the president’s influence over GOP voters and growing frustration with
Massie's opposition to Trump. In recent weeks several other Republicans
have been defeated by Trump-endorsed challengers, including Sen. Bill
Cassidy in Louisiana and several Indiana state senators who defied him
on redistricting.
Massie, who has served in Congress since 2012, was one of the most
outspoken holdouts. He pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein
files, criticized the war in Iran and voted against the president's
signature tax legislation last year. Still, he tried to convince voters
that they could be for both him and Trump.
The race was the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.
After losing, Massie took the stage before a fired-up crowd that cheered
and chanted, including slogans such as “no more wars” and “America
First!”
“We stirred up something. There is a yearning in this country for
someone who will vote for principles over party,” Massie said in his
speech, which lasted over 20 minutes.
He also criticized unwavering fealty to Trump in Congress: “If the
legislative branch always votes whichever way the wind is blowing, then
we have mob rule,” he said. But if lawmakers follow the Constitution,
“we have a republic.”
Massie signed off by teasing a run in 2028, saying, “we'll talk about it
later.”
Gallrein delivered a shorter, more muted speech at his victory party in
Covington, where he first thanked Trump, who visited Kentucky in March
to give Gallrein a boost.
Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, ran on his military service and loyalty to
the president and accused Massie of forsaking Trump and the party. He is
favored to win the general election against Democrat Melissa Strange in
the deeply red district.
Speaking with reporters after Massie’s defeat, Trump said: “He was a bad
guy. He deserves to lose.” And White House communications director
Steven Cheung said via social media: “Do not ever doubt President Trump
and his political power.”
The primary turned white hot in the final stretch of the campaign as
Massie recruited a phalanx of other Republicans, including Rep. Lauren
Boebert, in an attempt to show voters that a vote for him was not a vote
against Trump. The president, in turn, ratcheted up his social media
attacks, calling Massie “an obstructionist and a fool.” On Monday,
Gallrein shared a stage with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Also Tuesday, Republicans statewide chose U.S. Rep. Andy Barr as their
nominee to replace Mitch McConnell, the longtime U.S. Senate leader. In
a contest representing a generational changing of the guard for the
party, Barr, who was endorsed by Trump, bested Daniel Cameron, a former
state attorney general who leaned into his Christianity on the campaign
trail.
Some voters were fed up with Massie
Massie's challenge was to win over voters who generally think favorably
of Trump, the same man telling them to vote for Gallrein. Gallrein
embraced the role Trump gave him and focused his pitch to voters on his
personal history and unwavering loyalty to the president.
Capitalizing on voters fed up with Massie bucking the party appears to
have worked. Kim Dees, who attended Gallrein's event, said he was
“ecstatic,” calling the candidate “very authentic” and “a man of honor.”
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Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein speaks after winning
the Republican party's nomination during an election night event
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Covington, Ky. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
Massie noted that he voted with his party the vast majority of the
time. As for the remainder, he said those were on proposals that
violated his “America First” principles such as adding to the
national debt and getting into military entanglements like the war
with Iran.
That's what Jeanine Thomas, from Union, who attended the
congressman's party, appreciated about Massie.
“He and Trump had the same campaign promises, and he stuck with
them,” Thomas said. “He was courageous enough to not toe the line
when it was going against what he had promised his constituents that
he would do, and unfortunately he was punished for it.”
Massie has voted against U.S. aid to Israel and faced accusations of
antisemitism. Denying those accusations, he repeatedly argued that
he is generally against all foreign aid. But the race drew in
millions of dollars against him from pro-Israel interest groups,
including from the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund.
That became a stump topic for Massie, and he alluded to it in his
concession speech.
“I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and
concede and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” Massie
told the crowd.
Trump's ire in recent days turned to Republicans backing Massie.
After Boebert posted her support for the incumbent, Trump posted on
Truth Social asking for a Republican to challenge her — even though
the filing deadline in her home state of Colorado has already
passed.
“Anybody that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump said.
Trump also influenced the Senate primary
The president swayed the race not just through his endorsement but
by offering a third challenger, Nate Morris, an ambassadorship just
over two weeks before Election Day. Morris, who fashioned himself as
the MAGA candidate, withdrew from the race and encouraged his
backers to support Barr.
Barr was first elected in 2012 in the 6th Congressional District. He
too is favored to win the general election in the
Republican-dominated state, against Democrat Charles Booker.
In his victory speech, Barr thanked his primary opponents, Trump and
McConnell “for his decades of service to our commonwealth and this
country.”
During the campaign both Barr and Cameron tiptoed around their
relationship with McConnell, whom they previously called a mentor.
McConnell criticized Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S.
Capitol and more recently voted against some of his Cabinet picks.
He is stepping down after becoming the longest serving Senate leader
in American history, coinciding with a transformation of the party
under Trump.
Many Republicans, while admiring McConnell's achievements, see him
as out of step with the “Make America Great Again” and “America
First” movements spawned by Trump. Both Barr and Cameron took note,
and while ingratiating themselves to the president, they put some
distance between themselves and the senator.
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Bedayn reported from Austin, Texas.
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