Thomas Massie ousted by Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein in Kentucky primary

Ed Gallrein has won the Republican primary election in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, defeating U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) after an endorsement from President Donald Trump and a wave of pro-Israel money.

Decision Desk HQ projected Gallrein the winner at 7:41 p.m. EDT, with him holding a 6,200-vote lead over Massie. With 99% of the votes counted, Gallrein garnered 54.9% of the ballots (57,822 votes) with Massie collecting 45.1% (47,539 votes). Gallrein is all but guaranteed to succeed Massie in the safe-Republican district, effectively removing Trump’s most vocal GOP opponent from Congress.

Massie is also a rare Republican critic of the United States’ close relationship with Israel. Pro-Israel donors and interest groups, including the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), joined Trump’s massive spending effort against Massie. As of Monday, spending for the race topped $34 million, making it the most expensive U.S. House primary election in history.

After his loss, Massie joked about Gallrein’s overwhelming support from pro-Israel donors.

“I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede. And it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” Massie said. “I did get the call through though. I have called and conceded the race. We’ve been honorable the whole time and we’re going to stay that way.”

Massie: I would have come out sooner but I had to call my opponent to concede and it took a while to find him in Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/DmTkDfS17a

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 20, 2026

Massie’s split with Trump

Massie, a libertarian-minded politician who has served Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District since 2012, became one of Trump’s most vocal Republican critics during his second term. The 55-year-old split with Trump on several notable policy issues over the last year and a half, including criticizing the financial impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, opposing Trump’s war with Iran, and bashing the administration for failing to lawfully release files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.

These major departures from Trump’s recent priorities led the president to routinely bash Massie publicly, and vow to oust him from Congress via a primary challenger. During Trump’s visit to Kentucky in March, he praised Gallrein while again criticizing Massie.

“And now Massie, he’s the worst. And I don’t say that, I never hate a guy like this. We call him Rand Paul Jr. — he votes against everything. But at least I like Rand a little bit,” Trump said. “He’s gotta be voted out of office as soon as possible. On the other hand, Ed Gallrein has my complete and total endorsement.”

Ed Gellrein

Gallrein, 68, has never held public office and narrowly lost a primary election for Kentucky’s 7th district state Senate seat in 2024. According to his campaign website, Gallrein is a former Navy SEAL who served 30 years in the U.S. military. He has been described as “not a natural speaker or fiery orator.” Gallrein also declined multiple debates against Massie after launching his bid last October.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include the final vote totals.