Massie Loses Most Expensive House Primary Ever

Kentucky US Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary Tuesday in another test of President Trump's power over his party after he handpicked challenger and ultimate winner Ed Gallrein to oust the incumbent. The result showed the president's persisting influence over GOP voters, adding to a growing number of Trump-backed primary challengers to defeat Republican lawmakers who angered him in his second term, the AP reports. According to early returns, Massie, who has served in Congress since 2012, received around 46% of the vote, with 54% going to the previously little-known Gallrein, the New York Times reports.

• Massie angered Trump by pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, criticizing the war in Iran, and voting against his signature tax legislation last year.
• Gallrein, a dairy farmer and former Navy SEAL, ran on his military service and loyalty to the president and accused Massie of forsaking Trump and the party. Massie said 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.
• The primary turned white hot in the final stretch. Massie recruited a phalanx of other Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, in an attempt to show voters that they could support both him and Trump. Trump ratcheted up his social media attacks on Massie, calling him "an obstructionist and a fool," and Gallrein shared a stage with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday.
• Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party in his second term, successfully purging those who deviate from his agenda, but Massie is one of the last and most outspoken holdouts.
• The race was the most expensive House primary in history. Massie has voted against US 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.
• Massie said he called Gallrein to concede, telling supporters, "We've been honorable, and we're going to stay that way," NBC News reports. As supporters chanted "No more wars," Massie said, "There is a yearning in this country for somebody who will vote for principles over party." He added that he would have delivered his remarks sooner but he had to call his opponent, "and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv."