US Rep. Thomas Massie loses Kentucky GOP primary to Ed Gallrein in another victory for Trump

US Rep. Thomas Massie loses Kentucky GOP primary to Ed Gallrein in another victory for Trump 1 of 6 | Massie has been a thorn in the president’s side for pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposing the war with Iran and voting against Trump’s signature tax legislation last year. 2 of 6 | 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) 3 of 6 | Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., kisses his wife, Carolyn Moffa, during an election night watch party after losing the Republican Party’s nomination at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) 4 of 6 | 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) 5 of 6 | Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reacts as he speaks during an election night watch party after losing the Republican Party’s nomination at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) 6 of 6 | Rep. Andy Barr, R-KY, a Trump-endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks to guests of the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry) 1 of 6 Massie has been a thorn in the president’s side for pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposing the war with Iran and voting against Trump’s signature tax legislation last year. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 6 | 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) 2 of 6 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) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 6 | Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., kisses his wife, Carolyn Moffa, during an election night watch party after losing the Republican Party’s nomination at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) 3 of 6 Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., kisses his wife, Carolyn Moffa, during an election night watch party after losing the Republican Party’s nomination at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 6 | 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) 4 of 6 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) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 6 | Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reacts as he speaks during an election night watch party after losing the Republican Party’s nomination at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) 5 of 6 Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reacts as he speaks during an election night watch party after losing the Republican Party’s nomination at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 6 of 6 | Rep. Andy Barr, R-KY, a Trump-endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks to guests of the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry) 6 of 6 Rep. Andy Barr, R-KY, a Trump-endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks to guests of the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] 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 is a demonstration of the president’s powerful influence over GOP voters. 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 last and 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. 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. 5 MIN READ 2 MIN READ 4 MIN READ 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 for his support and leadership. Trump 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. 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.The race was the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.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. Massie’s challengeMassie’s challenge was to win over voters who generally think favorably of Trump, the same man telling them to vote for Gallrein. It was not the first Republican primary Trump has tried to sway, but Massie’s overt rebelliousness made him a clear target.Gallrein embraced the role Trump gave him and focused his pitch to voters on his personal history and unwavering loyalty to the president. That appears to have worked. Many voters were fed up with Massie bucking the party. George Scherzer, who lives in the small town of Crestwood, supported Massie in past elections but did not like his lack of support for some of the president’s agenda, including last year’s tax and spending bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.“Some of his votes just did not make sense to me,” Scherzer said. 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.Massie has voted against U.S. aid to Israel and faced accusations of antisemitism. He has denied the charges, arguing 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.After Boebert posted her support for Massie on the social platform X, Trump lashed out at the congresswoman on his own platform 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 primaryThe 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. 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. ___Bedayn reported from Austin, Texas. Bedayn is a national politics reporter based in Austin, Texas.