President Donald Trump has successfully unseated one of his most persistent critics in Congress.
On Tuesday, seven-term Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky was decisively defeated by Ed Gallrein, a challenger personally endorsed by Trump, according to projections from the Associated Press.
Addressing his supporters after the results, Massie remarked, “I would’ve come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede. It took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” taking a jab at his opponent’s substantial financial backing from Jewish donors, who are U.S. citizens.
Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer, was selected by Trump’s political team to challenge Massie, due to the congressman’s continuous efforts to release documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein and his opposition to Trump’s key One Beautiful Bill tax legislation last summer.
This electoral battle marks another episode in Trump’s ongoing campaign against his adversaries and highlights his significant influence within the Republican Party, despite his declining approval ratings during his second term.
Additionally, over the weekend, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who had voted to convict Trump following the January 6 Capitol riot, failed to advance to his state’s GOP runoff.
More than $32 million flooded into the northern Kentucky race, with Trump and pro-Israel groups backing challenger Gallrein and blanketing the airwaves with attack ads against Massie, who was accustomed to cruising to re-election. The race was the most expensive House primary in history.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unusual last-minute trip to the district Monday to endorse Gallrein, who largely kept his campaign away from media scrutiny.
Representative Thomas Massie speaks after losing the Republican party’s nomination during an election night watch party at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Kentucky
Republican congressional candidate for Kentucky, Ed Gallrein, stands for a portrait during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Kentucky
Massie sits at a table alone in the studio ahead of a Kentucky Educational Television (KET) debate, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Lexington, Kentucky
Trump himself unleashed a torrent of attacks in the final hours ahead of the election, calling Massie ‘a disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL,’ the ‘worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country,’ and ‘a totally ineffective LOSER.’
Trump’s fury extended even to Representative Lauren Boebert, a deep MAGA loyalist who dared to campaign for Massie – prompting the president to call her ‘weak-minded’ and float a primary challenge against her.
Massie had attempted to hold onto his seat by showcasing Gallrein’s past animosity toward Trump. He’s presented voter registration cards he claims show Gallrein quit the GOP after Trump’s initial presidential win in 2016.
‘I call them voter transition cards. He transitioned out of the party and stayed out for five years,’ Massie said at a GOP event back in March.
A Massie TV ad is also blasting Gallrein as ‘woke Eddie,’ who turned his back on the Trump movement.
But Massie’s personal charisma and incumbency couldn’t overcome the iron-fisted grip Trump holds over Republicans.
He faced a torrent of explosive personal allegations just as the race closed.
Ed Gallrein, Republican congressional candidate for Kentucky, greets US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on stage during an America First Workers Special Event on May 18, 2026 in Hebron, Kentucky
Lauren Boebert campaigned with Massie in Kentucky this past weekend
Cynthia West, a former Capitol Hill staffer who claims she had a brief romantic relationship with the congressman after the death of his wife, Rhonda, in 2024, said Massie used a secret ‘burner’ phone he jokingly called a ‘boner phone.’
She also claimed he boasted about a past fling with Boebert, even describing her as the ‘hottest woman in Congress.’
Neither Boebert nor Massie publicly addressed the allegation, though Boebert campaigned for Massie this past weekend ahead of his primary, as did several other Republicans, including Ohio Congressman Warren Davidson, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, and former Michigan Congressman Justin Amash.
West also accused Massie of attempting to silence her with a $5,000 hush-money offer, which Massie has denied.
Loomer reacted to Massie’s defeat by targeting his longtime ally, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, writing on X, ‘Rand Paul, You’re next.’
Paul, who was at the White House Congressional Picnic on Tuesday night instead of with Massie, did not answer questions from reporters about his defeat.
Trump’s former co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita posted a photo of Trump giving a middle finger with the caption, ‘Hey @MassieforKY …’
The President has already claimed wins against Cassidy and a group of Indiana state senators who were ousted on May 5 after opposing his preferred plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
Less than a week ahead of the Texas primary runoff that is set for next Tuesday, Trump also decided to back challenger Ken Paxton over incumbent US Senator John Cornyn, sending Republicans on Capitol Hill reeling about the implications for a competitive general election.
Massie has a long history of antagonizing Trump, going back to his first term when they clashed over Covid-19.
Even when the frustrated former president denounced Massie in 2020, he never mobilized behind a primary opponent against him.
In 2020 Massie skewered his primary challenger by 62 points.
Then Massie went all in against Trump, endorsing Ron DeSantis’ ill-fated campaign for president in 2023.
What a difference a second Trump term makes.
Kentucky’s Republican voters also selected Andy Barr as their nominee to replace former US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, another longtime Trump nemesis from Kentucky, who is retiring.
