Trump-Backed Ed Gallrein Defeats Rep. Thomas Massie In Kentucky GOP Primary

President Donald Trump claimed another major scalp Tuesday night after Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican primary to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein in one of the nastiest and most expensive House races in modern political history.

Gallrein, a farmer and retired Navy SEAL personally endorsed by Trump, defeated the seven-term Kentucky congressman 54.4% to 45.6% in the Fourth Congressional District race, according to the Associated Press projection shortly before 8 p.m.

🚨 BREAKING: Ed Gallrein has UNSEATED incumbent Congressman Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s 4th District, per DDHQ

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This was the most expensive Congressional primary in HISTORY, with approximately $35 MILLION spent.

Spending on each side:

• ED GALLREIN: ~$20 million
• MASSIE:… pic.twitter.com/fvwvPgjOZE

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 19, 2026

The result marked a dramatic fall for Massie, once considered one of the GOP’s most untouchable libertarian conservatives.

Instead, Trump and his allies turned the Kentucky race into a full-blown loyalty test.

And MAGA voters delivered.

Earlier in the day, Trump blasted Massie on X as a “Horrible Congressman” while urging Republicans to rally behind Gallrein, whom he called “a true American Patriot.”

Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie put out an old Endorsement, from many years ago, of him by me long before I found out that he was the Worst Congressman in the History of our Country. I endorsed Ed Gallrein, a true American Patriot, which Massie knows full well, so the…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2026

The defeat sends a thunderous warning shot through the Republican conference as Trump tightens his grip over the GOP ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Massie had increasingly found himself isolated after repeatedly breaking with Trump on key votes, including opposition to the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the White House-backed tax-and-spending package that became a centerpiece of Trump’s second-term agenda.

This story is developing…

Rep. Thomas Massie ousted in Kentucky by Trump-backed Ed Gallrein: ‘A true American Patriot’ https://t.co/0A0fPyixAr pic.twitter.com/ANIUQ2WDpO

— New York Post (@nypost) May 19, 2026