Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has lost his primary bid for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District to Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer backed by President Trump, according to Decision Desk HQ projections. The defeat marks a significant win for Trump as he continues to target Republican lawmakers who have crossed him.
Gallrein, who was recruited by Trump to challenge Massie, rode a wave of national attention and unprecedented spending to unseat the libertarian-leaning incumbent. The race shattered records for the most expensive House primary in history, with AdImpact reporting $25.6 million spent on television, radio, and digital advertising. Federal Election Commission data, which includes broader campaign expenses, put the combined spending by candidates and outside groups at roughly $35 million.
Massie outspent Gallrein directly, $5.8 million to $2.6 million, but super PACs tilted the scales heavily in favor of the challenger. Pro-Gallrein super PACs poured more than $16.4 million into boosting him, compared to roughly $10.1 million backing Massie. The flood of outside money fueled a bitter and personal advertising war, including AI-generated deepfakes. One pro-Gallrein ad falsely accused Massie of being in a “throuple” with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), while a pro-Massie group aired an ad depicting Gallrein abandoning Trump on a battlefield.
The primary became a proxy fight for Trump's grip on the GOP, coming just days after the president successfully ousted Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in Louisiana. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to Kentucky on Monday to campaign for Gallrein, a trip the Pentagon said Hegseth took in his personal capacity. Trump himself renewed his call for Massie to be “thrown out of office.”
Massie, a libertarian Republican known for his independent streak, found himself increasingly at odds with Trump over the past year. He led efforts to force the release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, criticized the party's foreign policy direction, and voted against Trump's signature tax and spending legislation over deficit concerns. Despite defending his conservative record on the campaign trail, Massie could not overcome the president's opposition.
“Dogs don’t bark at parked cars. I’m the only car moving,” Massie told The Hill last week, defending his willingness to break with party orthodoxy. “A lot of people have been intimidated into a monolithic position, and even changing their positions on foreign policy and FISA and things like that. They’re just glad somebody didn’t change his views based on the whims of this administration.”
Gallrein's victory consolidates Trump's influence in Kentucky, where Barr won the GOP Senate primary to succeed McConnell, further reshaping the state's Republican landscape. The race also highlighted deep intra-party divides, echoing tensions seen in other primaries such as Trump's endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn in Texas.
