Republican congressman Thomas Massie lost the most expensive House primary in history on Tuesday to Ed Gallrein, a farmer and former Navy Seal backed by Donald Trump. The defeat underscores Trump’s enduring grip on the party, even as his overall political base shrinks.
Trump had branded Massie a “moron”, “nut job” and “major sleazebag”, dispatching strategists Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio to lead a super PAC supporting Gallrein. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also campaigned for the challenger. Massie, a libertarian-leaning incumbent, had angered Trump by voting against aid to Israel and criticising the Iran war.
Pro-Israel groups spent millions opposing Massie, who faced accusations of antisemitism. In his concession speech, Massie joked: “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.”
Trump also celebrated the nomination of Andy Barr for Senate in Kentucky and other wins. Despite negative headlines, the president has quietly notched up victories, including the ousting of state senators who defied him on redistricting and the defeat of Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy, who voted for his impeachment.
Democratic senator Chris Murphy noted the irony: “If you lead a campaign against powerful pedophiles, you get drummed out of the Republican Party.” Marjorie Taylor Greene, now feuding with Trump, wrote: “Releasing the Epstein files was our demise. But it was worth every single bit because now everyone knows the truth.”
