{"id":50,"date":"2026-05-20T04:11:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T04:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=50"},"modified":"2026-05-20T04:11:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T04:11:09","slug":"trump-backed-gallrein-defeats-massie-in-kentucky-gop-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=50","title":{"rendered":"Trump-backed Gallrein defeats Massie in Kentucky GOP primary"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ed Gallrein defeated Rep. Thomas Massie on Tuesday in the most expensive House primary on record, handing President Trump another high-profile victory and cementing the president\u2019s standing as the center of gravity in the Republican Party.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump touts security upgrades for presidential ballroom as congressional funding remains in doubt<\/a><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump had personally recruited Mr. Gallrein, a Kentucky farmer and former Navy SEAL officer, to challenge Mr. Massie after growing increasingly frustrated with the congressman\u2019s willingness to break with the president.<\/p>\n

The race was called less than two hours after polls closed in the 4th Congressional District.<\/p>\n

Mr. Gallrein jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished it. With 95% of the vote counted, Mr. Gallrein had a 55% to 45% lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod is good,\u201d Mr. Gallrein said in a short victory speech at his election night party. \u201cThe winner of the race is not so much Ed Gallrein, but it is the Republicans of Kentucky District 4 and their families, whom I will be a champion for in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also thanked Mr. Trump for his support and his \u201ccourageous leadership of our nation at this critical time and juncture in history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Massie, meanwhile, was more long-winded \u2014 and defiant in defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have come out sooner and conceded, but it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,\u201d he told supporters, alluding to the financial backing his rival received from deep-pocketed pro-Israel donors and outside groups.<\/p>\n

As supporters yelled \u201c2028,\u201d Mr. Massie hinted at a possible presidential run, saying his message energized younger voters fed up with taxpayer money going overseas, global wars, and corporations escaping accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a yearning for someone in this country who will vote for principles over party,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat happens in 2028?\u201d \u2014 triggering chants of \u201cPresident! President!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Voters in Georgia, Alabama, Idaho, Oregon and Pennsylvania also went to the polls in races that will help set the table for the battle over governor\u2019s mansions and Congress this fall.<\/p>\n

In his push to reshape the party in his image, Mr. Trump notched another victory in the U.S. Senate primary in Kentucky. His preferred pick, Rep. Andy Barr, won the Republican nomination to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longtime Republican leader and frequent Trump foil.<\/p>\n

He also backed Rep. Barry Moore in the Alabama Senate race and gave his blessing to Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Georgia gubernatorial race. Mr. Jones advanced to a runoff against billionaire Rick Jackson.<\/p>\n

All three states are at least conservative-leaning, and Kentucky and Alabama are considerably more so. Whoever wins the primaries will be favored in November.<\/p>\n

In Kentucky, Mr. Massie drew the ire of Mr. Trump and his allies after helping force the release of the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files, opposing the president\u2019s unilateral military strikes against Iran and voting against both foreign assistance and Mr. Trump\u2019s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act over concerns about the soaring national debt.<\/p>\n

Some of those stances are consistent with Mr. Massie\u2019s history as a libertarian-leaning conservative. Yet unlike many such House members, Mr. Massie did not alter his course after Mr. Trump became the party standard-bearer.<\/p>\n

Read more Senate Democrats advance war powers measure with ousted GOP Sen. Cassidy\u2019s help<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite sagging polls, high gas prices and concerns over the war in Iran, Mr. Trump has proven time and again he is the dominant force in the Republican Party.<\/p>\n

He declared victory again over the weekend after Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the three remaining Republican senators who voted to convict him for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, failed to advance to a runoff.<\/p>\n

Mr. Trump\u2019s endorsed pick, Rep. Julia Letlow, finished first, and Mr. Cassidy placed third, out of the running.<\/p>\n

He also came out on the winning side of recent state Senate races in Indiana, where five of the seven Republicans who refused to support his redistricting push lost their primaries.<\/p>\n

Mr. Trump on Tuesday also put his finger on the scale in the coming Texas Senate runoff race, tossing his support behind Attorney General Ken Paxton\u2019s campaign to unseat Sen. John Cornyn.<\/p>\n

In Kentucky, Mr. Trump pushed hard for Mr. Gallrein.<\/p>\n

In March, he traveled to the district, praising Mr. Gallrein and criticizing Mr. Massie.<\/p>\n

He also derided Mr. Massie in a series of posts on Truth Social, calling him \u201cthe worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, he said he regretted endorsing Mr. Massie in previous years and called him a \u201cterrible congressman from Day One.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Massie countered by reposting a 2022 endorsement in which Mr. Trump described him as a \u201cconservative warrior\u201d and \u201cfirst-rate defender of the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a rare wartime move for a Pentagon chief, also headlined a rally for Mr. Gallrein on the eve of the election.<\/p>\n

Pro-Israel donors, meanwhile, poured millions into the effort to defeat Mr. Massie, who has raised concerns about taxpayer money sent overseas, including to Israel, and about the conduct of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

A Trump-aligned super PAC called MAGA Kentucky raised money from hedge fund manager Paul Singer and a political committee tied to casino mogul and Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson.<\/p>\n

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other pro-Israel interest groups spent more than $9 million in the race, while the MAGA Kentucky super PAC spent nearly $7 million more \u2014 pushing total ad spending past $32 million and making it the most expensive House primary on record.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund echoes Obama\u2019s tactics that sent billions to left-wing allies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ed Gallrein defeated Rep. 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