Elections

BLUEGRASS BEATDOWN: MAGA Machine Topples Thomas Massie in Kentucky

posted by Hannity Staff - 5.19.26

President Donald Trump claimed another major scalp Tuesday night after Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican primary to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein in one of the nastiest and most expensive House races in modern political history.

Gallrein, a farmer and retired Navy SEAL personally endorsed by Trump, defeated the seven-term Kentucky congressman 54.4% to 45.6% in the Fourth Congressional District race, according to the Associated Press projection shortly before 8 p.m.

The result marked a dramatic fall for Massie, once considered one of the GOP’s most untouchable libertarian conservatives.

Instead, Trump and his allies turned the Kentucky race into a full-blown loyalty test.

And MAGA voters delivered.

Earlier in the day, Trump blasted Massie on X as a “Horrible Congressman” while urging Republicans to rally behind Gallrein, whom he called “a true American Patriot.”

The defeat sends a thunderous warning shot through the Republican conference as Trump tightens his grip over the GOP ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Massie had increasingly found himself isolated after repeatedly breaking with Trump on key votes, including opposition to the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the White House-backed tax-and-spending package that became a centerpiece of Trump’s second-term agenda.

This story is developing…