In Kentucky primary, U.S. Rep. Massie falls to Trump-backed Gallrein

HEBRON, KY.—After a record-breaking, hard-fought campaign, eight-term Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on Tuesday night conceded the Republican House primary race in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to his opponent, Ed Gallrein.

“I have called and conceded the race,” Massie told supporters gathered at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport hotel in Hebron. “We’ve been honorable the whole time, and we’re going to stay that way.”

Amid supporter chants of “Massie, Massie,” “No more war,” and “America first,” Massie compared his nine-month campaign against Gallrein to a war—one with heavy financial stakes.

"Welcome to the most expensive congressional primary ever in the 250-year history of this country,” he said. “It’s not just the most expensive. This thing went on longer than Vietnam."

The crowd started out the evening energized and optimistic, but it quickly became apparent that Massie was destined to lose to Gallrein, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and farmer who had gained President Donald Trump’s endorsement. With 97% of votes counted around 10 p.m. Tuesday, Gallrein led Massie 55% to 45%. The Associated Press called the race for Gallrein early in the evening.

Why did Trump endorse Gallrein? Massie was once seen as a staunch Trump ally, but during Trump’s second term, he drew sharp criticism from the president. He voted against Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act, arguing that it added trillions of dollars to the federal deficit. He also forced a vote on a bill requiring Trump’s Department of Justice to release all of its files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Why was the race so significant? Many saw the contest as a referendum on who would control the Republican Party going forward: the Trump/MAGA wing of the party, or more independent, libertarian-minded wildcards like Massie and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

How did Massie’s supporters respond? Supporter Ginny Saville expressed disappointment in Massie’s loss and said she believed America was in trouble.

“Financially, people haven't been able to afford houses, college and healthcare for a long time,” she said. “And now the inflation has boiled down to groceries and at the gas pump, and this is the result of deficit spending in the government.”

Clad in a custom-made red, white, and blue shirt bearing Massie’s picture, supporter Donavan Spencer praised the congressman’s concession speech but accused Trump and the Republican Party of short-sightedness.

“I don’t want to vote for the GOP to maintain power in the mid-terms,” he said. “So what? I have no reason to vote for the GOP. If the GOP was smart, they would have said, ‘We need Massie and he should be speaker so that those people that came together to get Trump in office will want to keep us in office.’”

Any other big news from Kentucky’s primary elections? In Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Andy Barr won the Republican nomination, beating out former Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Barr had also received Trump’s endorsement.

In the 4th District, Melissa Strange won the Democratic nomination for the House race and will face off with Gallrein in November’s general election.

Elsewhere, what other significant state primary results came in on Tuesday? The five other states with primary elections on Tuesday were Georgia, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Idaho, and Oregon.

• In Georgia’s governor’s race, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic Party’s nomination, beating out a crowded field of competitors. On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson advanced to a runoff after neither gained 50% of the vote. In the U.S. Senate primary, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and Derek Dooley also advanced to a runoff, the winner of which will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.

• In Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, former TV anchor Janelle Stelson won the Democratic nomination for an opportunity to challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Perry’s seat in November. In the 7th District, Bob Brooks cleared a field of competitors to win Democratic nomination and will face off against Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. Meanwhile, in the governor’s race, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will run against GOP challenger Stacy Garrity.

• In Alabama, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville won the GOP nomination for the governor’s race. Meanwhile, the leading Republican and Democratic candidates for Tuberville’s Senate seat advanced to runoffs.

• In Idaho, Rep. Mike Simpson, Sen. Jim Risch, and Gov. Brad Little, all Republicans, weathered primary challenges from members of their party.

• In Oregon, state Sen. Christine Drazan won the Republican nomination in the governor’s race, setting up a rematch against Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. Four years ago, Drazan lost to Kotek by just 3 percentage points in the solidly blue state.

Dig deeper: Read WORLD’s earlier report about Massie’s tough primary race in Kentucky.

—with additional reporting by Daniel James Devine in Indiana