In the political landscape of northern Kentucky, Republican voters faced a crucial decision during Tuesday’s House primary, choosing between the seasoned U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie and the fresh-faced challenger Ed Gallrein. This contest served as a litmus test for President Donald Trump’s sway within his own party, as he personally endorsed Gallrein in hopes of unseating the incumbent.
The race in the 4th District intensified dramatically as the primary drew to a close. Massie, eager to illustrate his alignment with Trump, rallied support from fellow Republicans, notably Rep. Lauren Boebert, to assure voters of his compatibility with Trump’s vision. In contrast, Trump launched a barrage of social media critiques against Massie, branding him as “an obstructionist and a fool,” while Gallrein shared the limelight with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a significant campaign event on Monday.
Throughout his second term, Trump has consolidated his influence over the Republican Party, often sidelining those who deviate from his directives. Massie, however, has remained one of the few vocal dissenters, standing firm against the tide. A loss for Massie would underscore Trump’s potent hold on the Republican electorate.
This primary was not just a battle of ideologies, but also of financial muscle, marking it as the most expensive U.S. House primary in history. The stakes were high, with Massie, who has served since 2012, pitted against a newcomer who pledged unwavering loyalty to Trump.
Massie’s history of challenging the administration includes urging the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a move that proved politically troublesome for the White House. He also publicly criticized military actions in Iran and withheld support for Trump’s hallmark tax cuts, citing concerns over the escalating national debt.
In response Trump visited Kentucky to boost Gallrein in March. The president has had a string of success defeating dissenters in his party, pushing to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana and several Indiana state senators who defied him on redistricting.
The winner of Tuesday’s primary is expected to take the general election in the deeply red 4th Congressional District, which stretches along the state’s northernmost border.
Republicans statewide were also choosing their nominee to replace Mitch McConnell, the longtime U.S. Senate leader, in a contest representing a generational changing of the guard for the party. Rep. Andy Barr, endorsed by Trump, faced Daniel Cameron, a former state attorney general. The final polls were scheduled to close in the western part of the state, which is in the Central time zone, at 6 p.m.
Can Republican voters support both Trump and Massie?
Massie’s challenge was to win over voters who generally think favorably of Trump, the same man telling them to vote for Gallrein. It’s not the first Republican primary Trump has tried to sway, but Massie’s overt rebelliousness has been a particular challenge to the president.
Gallrein, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, embraced the role Trump gave him, and focused his pitch to voters on his personal history and unwavering loyalty to the president. Massie, he argued, betrayed Trump and the party.
Hegseth made a visit to the district Monday to boost Gallrein and lambast Massie, a break from tradition that came while the nation is at war. Hegseth said he was speaking “as a private citizen.”
Some voters were already fed up with Massie bucking the party.
George Scherzer, who lives in the small town of Crestwood, supported Massie in past elections but did not like his lack of support for some of the president’s agenda, including last year’s tax and spending bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.
“Some of his votes just did not make sense to me,” Scherzer said.
Massie argued that voters did not have to choose between Trump and him, nothing that he voted with his party the vast majority of the time. As for the remainder, he said those were on proposals that violated his America First principles such as adding to the national debt and getting into military entanglements like the war with Iran.
Massie has voted against U.S. aid to Israel and faced accusations of antisemitism. He has denied the charges, arguing that he is generally against all foreign aid. But the race drew in millions of dollars against him from pro-Israel interest groups, including from the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund.
That became a stump topic for Massie, who said the attempt to oust him was to send a warning to other lawmakers who oppose the president or aid to Israel.
In a last-minute pitch to Kentucky Republicans, Boebert posted photos of her with Massie and with Trump on the social platform X, saying, “I support both of these men.” Replying to that, Massie said: “she likes both Trump and me! Yes it’s possible!!”
Trump lashed out at Boebert on his Truth Social platform, asking for a Republican to challenge her even though the filing deadline in her home state of Colorado has already passed. “Anybody that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” he wrote.
McConnell went largely unmentioned in primary for his seat
Barr and Cameron tiptoed around their relationship with McConnell, whom they previously called a mentor.
McConnell criticized Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and more recently voted against some of his Cabinet picks. He is stepping down after becoming the longest serving Senate leader in American history, coinciding with a transformation of the party under Trump.
Many Republicans, while admiring McConnell’s achievements, see him as out of step with the Make America Great Again and America First movements spawned by Trump. Both Barr and Cameron took note, and while ingratiating themselves to the president, they put some distance between themselves and the senator.