Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary Tuesday, becoming the latest Republican lawmaker to anger President Donald Trump and then fall to a primary challenger backed by the president.
Trump handpicked and endorsed Ed Gallrein, whose victory demonstrated the president’s influence over GOP voters and growing frustration with Massie’s opposition to Trump. In recent weeks several other Republicans have been defeated by Trump-endorsed challengers, including Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana and several Indiana state senators who defied him on redistricting.
Massie, who has served in Congress since 2012, was one of the most outspoken holdouts. He pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, criticized the war in Iran and voted against the president’s signature tax legislation last year. Still, he tried to convince voters that they could be for both him and Trump.
The race was the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.
After losing, Massie took the stage before a fired-up crowd that cheered and chanted, including slogans such as “no more wars” and “America First!”
“We stirred up something. There is a yearning in this country for someone who will vote for principles over party,” Massie said in his speech, which lasted over 20 minutes.
He also criticized unwavering fealty to Trump in Congress: “If the legislative branch always votes whichever way the wind is blowing, then we have mob rule,” he said. But if lawmakers follow the Constitution, “we have a republic.”
This is going to backfire in November, just like the redistricting is going to backfire.
All they’ve done is eject the Republican who was likely to win, and replace them with a MAGA Maniac who is likely to lose, and flip the seat to a Democrat. Now they’ve done it twice.
They may have created two Dem flips, where none existed before. It certainly means they are going to have to spend a LOT more money on those races.
Likewise, the gerrymandering, like in Tennessee, where they got rid of one safe Blue district, but diluted three safe Red districts, making them vulnerable in a bloodbath election like the Midterms will be. They may have turned one district Red, but there others Blue.
These guys always think they’re being so clever, but they never understand how the same weapons can be used against them.