US President Donald Trump scored one other victory in his marketing campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday (Could 19) as Consultant Thomas Massie of Kentucky misplaced his main race, underscoring the dangers for lawmakers who defy Trump.
Massie, who angered Trump by main a push to release Justice Department files tied to the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, was defeated by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by the president and bolstered by heavy outdoors spending by pro-Israel teams, in accordance with US media projections.
The competition – the most costly Home of Representatives main in historical past, with US$32 million in advert spending – provided the most recent proof of Trump’s maintain over Republicans. It adopted the ouster in a main on Saturday of one other Trump critic, Senator Invoice Cassidy of Louisiana, and losses for dissenting state lawmakers in Indiana primaries on Could 5.
“Massie acquired Trumped. Donald Trump is the solar and the moon and the celebs within the Republican Celebration in Kentucky,” mentioned TJ Litafik, a Kentucky-based Republican strategist.
However reasonably than sign wider attraction for the president, Massie’s defeat underscored Trump’s dominance amongst get together activists who form main outcomes, whilst his sagging approval rankings and excessive fuel costs increase questions in regards to the get together’s possibilities with the broader citizens in November’s midterm elections.
Massie’s clashes with Trump started to construct in 2025 when he was considered one of solely two Home Republicans to vote in opposition to the “Massive Stunning Invoice,” the president’s signature tax and spending bundle, and when he efficiently led a push to launch Justice Division recordsdata tied to the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
His stance in opposition to the Iran battle and support to Israel additional drew Trump’s ire and a surge of cash from professional‑Israel teams, with the Republican Jewish Coalition, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and a Trump‑aligned tremendous PAC funded by pro-Israel donors spending greater than US$15 million to oust him.
“He is a foul man, he deserves to lose,” Trump mentioned at a White Home occasion on Tuesday night time.
Different primaries are unfolding on Tuesday throughout Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania, serving to to form the battlefield for November’s elections, when Democrats intention to take management of the Home and doubtlessly the Senate regardless of Republican beneficial properties in a nationwide redistricting struggle.
In one of many night time’s races, Consultant Andy Barr gained the Republican nomination for the Senate seat in Kentucky held by Mitch McConnell for 4 a long time, in accordance with media projections. Bolstered by Trump’s endorsement, Barr defeated former Kentucky Legal professional Common Daniel Cameron.
OUTSIDE GROUPS MAKE IMPACT
Mixed spending within the Massie-Gallrein race topped $32 million, surpassing the US$25 million spent in a 2024 race that ousted Democratic Consultant Jamaal Bowman in New York, in accordance with AdImpact.
The advertisements concentrating on Massie, whose fundraising relied closely on grassroots donors, sought to painting him as disloyal to Trump and the get together. One professional‑Gallrein advert used AI‑generated photos to indicate Massie checking right into a resort with progressive Democratic lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez, with a narrator claiming he had been “caught in a throuple”.
Gallrein had solid himself as a crew participant who would reliably again Trump, a technique that proved profitable in a state the president gained in 2024 with 64.5 per cent of the vote.
Tim Hafer, a constituent within the district spanning Louisville’s suburbs, on the Kentucky facet of the Cincinnati metro space, and rural counties to the east, mentioned he as soon as backed Massie however selected to comply with Trump’s lead and vote for Gallrein.
“I determine he is aware of far more about what is going on on within the political realm than I do. So, I went strictly on Trump’s suggestion,” Hafer instructed Reuters. “I all the time favored Massie up to now, however the previous few methods he is been voting, he is not for me.”
