The future of the Republican Party was up for grabs in Kentucky&#8217;s 4th Congressional District last night.
It was the most expensive House primary race in history and a bellwether for what comes next inside the GOP.
Thomas Massie versus President Donald Trump. Online versus reality. Woke right versus traditional Trump right.
And Trump won. Reality won.
It turns out the future still belongs to the rational Right.
It belongs to President Trump.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ben-shapiro-show-ep-2430?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-981859" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-768x128.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
The race was not particularly close. Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, was Massie’s opponent.
Massie, of course, has been in Congress since 2012 as a 14-year, seven-term congressman. He was destroyed by Gallrein last night; by 7:45 p.m. Eastern time, it was over. Gallrein got roughly 55% of the vote.
Let’s begin at the beginning. There are a lot of stories, a lot of tales, about what defeated Thomas Massie: that Thomas Massie was defeated by AIPAC money, that Thomas Massie was defeated over his strong opposition to Israel, etc.
That is not what happened. Thomas Massie, who was very popular in his district — a district that happens to have gone for Trump by 35 to 40 points in the last several election cycles — lost that seat because he decided that he wanted to go to war with President Trump on policy and also personally.
That&#8217;s the reality.
Thirty-three million dollars was spent in the race. Massie outspent Gallrein directly, and then super PACs got involved. Supporters of President Trump, people who are pro-Israel, spent some $16 million against Massie in the race. Massie&#8217;s supportive super PACs spent about $10 million in the race.
A lot of money poured in.
But to understand the race, you should understand what people in Kentucky&#8217;s fourth district were watching. They were not all online. They were not watching the same race that many of us were in the online world and podcast world.
The ads that were running in Kentucky&#8217;s fourth district told you what this race was about. Massie&#8217;s strategy in his TV ads was to hump President Trump&#8217;s leg. His strategy was: what if I oppose President Trump on all of his major policy proposals and throw a bunch of conspiratorial nonsense crap at President Trump about Jeffrey Epstein, but when it comes time for reelection, I hump his leg like a dog in heat?
Massie opposed Trump on a lot of issues where Massie acted as a fiscal conservative, which is not wrong. In fact, if you go back and look at things I&#8217;ve said about Thomas Massie in the past, he&#8217;s been staunchly small government in ways that I largely support.
But that is not what happened here. What actually happened is he decided that he was going to be a gadfly Republican congressman who was totally useless to Trump, and then attack Trump directly. He refused to support all of Trump&#8217;s major legislative initiatives, including the One Big Beautiful Bill; he was one of only two House Republicans to vote against it.
He decided that he was going to join with Democrats to try to stop President Trump&#8217;s airstrikes on Iran. On the SAVE Act, he voted no on a procedural rule that would have enabled the bill to come to the floor.
And then, of course, his biggest move was that he was going to push Trump on the Epstein files. He was going to suggest there was some deep, dark conspiracy about Epstein. It was really the Epstein stuff that set Trump off, because there are a lot of congress members who have voted against Trump occasionally, and he&#8217;s okay with that.
But Massie decided he was going to join with Democrats in pushing a bunch of online conspiratorial nonsense, including the idea that President Trump was actively covering up some sort of sex trafficking ring involving important people who are Trump&#8217;s friends or Trump himself. He joined with Ro Khanna, another conspiratorial Democrat, to do this.
So Massie decided to go to war with Trump, while every ad that he ran in his district was Massie trying to grab Trump and bear-hug him.
Meanwhile, Trump was deploying his entire administration to say, I want nothing to do with this schmuck.
President Trump actually broke his own Twitter ban to step in and basically stomp on Massie the day before the election. He posted:
<blockquote>Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie put out an old Endorsement from many years ago, of him by me long before I knew he was the Worst Congressman in the history of our country. I endorsed Ed Gallrein, a true American patriot, which Massie knows full well, so the statement he put out is fraudulent, just like He is fraudulent. WITHDRAW YOUR FAKE STATEMENT, MASSIE, RIGHT NOW.</blockquote>
If you were a normie in Kentucky&#8217;s 4th Congressional district, what you saw was a congressman whom President Trump did not like because that congressman voted against all of his priorities and was joining with Democrats to do that, as well as personally going after Trump and basically accusing him of covering up a child sex trafficking ring.
That same congressman was trying to hump Trump&#8217;s leg in ads.
It is very clear what this race was about.
Thomas Massie decided to go up against Trump.
And Trump destroyed him.
That is all.

bye_bye_bye_Massie

One GOP Star Just Learned A Very Painful Lesson

2026 elections

Ben Shapiro

Opinion

Thomas Massie

Speaking to The Daily Wire on Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump called embattled Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) a &#8220;low life&#8221; and counted his ouster as a victory for the Republican Party.
&#8220;How are you feeling after this Massie defeat last night? What does it mean for the Republican party?&#8221; Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan asked the president.
&#8220;We had a great number of victories — not just Massie,&#8221; Trump responded. &#8220;Massie is a low life.&#8221;
&#8220;We had a great number of victories,&#8221; the president added. &#8220;We won all races last night.&#8221;
Massie lost his primary election on Tuesday evening to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein. Additionally, other Trump-aligned candidates scored victories, including in Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, and Louisiana, while anti-Trump candidates struggled.
&#8220;I know how to win,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I think I&#8217;ve proven that, haven&#8217;t I?&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="EXCLUSIVE: Trump reacts to defeat of ‘low life’ Thomas Massie" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xoms-lqh6YU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
On Truth Social, Trump posted about 37 different candidates with his backing who won their races. In another post, he said he had a 100% track record this election.
<div id="attachment_1098843" style="width: 596px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1098843" class="wp-image-1098843 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-12.21.00-PM-586x576.png" alt="" width="586" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-12.21.00-PM-586x576.png 586w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-12.21.00-PM-300x295.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-12.21.00-PM-768x755.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-12.21.00-PM-1536x1510.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-20-at-12.21.00-PM.png 1758w" sizes=" (max-width: 586px) 100vw, 586px" />Screenshot: Truth Social</div>
Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL, got the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/team-trump-goes-all-out-to-oust-thomas-massie">backing</a> of President Trump after Massie bucked the president on the war in Iran, the Epstein files, the &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill,&#8221; and other issues.
Back in May 2025, Trump made clear that he would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/just-another-grandstander-trump-backs-primary-challenge-to-thomas-massie?utm_source=chatgpt.com">support a primary challenger to Massie</a>, adding that he’d “lead the charge against him.”
Then, in November, Trump unleashed on the former ally. Taking to Truth Social, the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-goes-nuclear-on-two-former-allies-says-hell-back-primary-challengers">wrote</a>, “Did Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr., because of the fact that he always votes against the Republican Party, get married already??? Boy, that was quick!”
Massie’s wife of over 31 years died in June 2024. Sixteen months after her passing, Massie married Carolyn Grace Moffa, 36, a former agriculture policy staffer for Senator Rand Paul.
“No wonder the Polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the Election,” Trump added. “Anyway, have a great life Thomas and (?). His wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!&#8221;
During Massie&#8217;s concession speech, he claimed he wasn&#8217;t running against Trump or even Gallrein. &#8220;We weren’t running against Ed Gallrein. We weren’t running against Donald Trump,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We were running for what we believe in.&#8221;
The ousted congressman also mocked Gallrein during his concession speech. &#8220;I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede, and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,&#8221; he said.

Trump, Thomas Massie

EXCLUSIVE: Trump Breaks Silence After Midterm Night, Calls Massie A ‘Low Life’

EXCLUSIVE: Trump Reacts To Defeat Of ‘Low Life’ Thomas Massie

2026 Midterms

Donald Trump

Kentucky

Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) topped off his concession speech with a swipe at Jews in a comment about his Republican primary challenger Ed Gallrein.
Massie spoke to supporters on Tuesday evening after his campaign went down in flames, claiming that he was late to deliver his remarks because he&#8217;d first had to track down Gallrein in Tel Aviv to offer his concession personally.
&#8220;I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent to concede and it took awhile to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,&#8221; Massie said, prompting laughter from his supporters as he suggested that his opponent was beholden to Israeli interests.
&#8220;I did give the call, though. I have called and conceded the race,&#8221; Massie continued, claiming, &#8220;We&#8217;ve been honorable the whole time, and we&#8217;re gonna stay that way.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Even in his concession speech, Thomas Massie had to take a shot at Jews" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Y36L9lgn_Y?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Kentucky Congressman&#8217;s campaign leaned into antisemitic advertising as the heated contest drew to a close.
One ad, created by pro-Massie PAC Hold the Line, claimed that &#8220;the gay mafia&#8221; would &#8220;own&#8221; Gallrein if he won, and pointed to Gallrein&#8217;s billionaire Jewish donor Paul Singer as the prime example. The ad featured the LGBTQ+ flag overlaying the Star of David, called Singer a &#8220;pro-gay, pro-trans activist working with far-Left, hardcore Democrats,&#8221; and claimed that Singer would &#8220;bring his trans madness to Kentucky.&#8221;
In the final hours of the campaign, Massie&#8217;s team <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/massie-rolls-out-fake-trump-endorsement-with-hours-to-go-before-polls-close">fired off</a> a text blast that featured an endorsement from President Donald Trump. The endorsement was a real one, but it was from 2022 — and Massie&#8217;s campaign removed the date to make it appear as if it were current.
President Trump fired off a quick response via social media, demanding that Massie withdraw the &#8220;FAKE STATEMENT&#8221; immediately.
&#8220;Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie put out an old Endorsement, from many years ago, of him by me long before I found out that he was the Worst Congressman in the History of our Country,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/2056827052851105947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2056827052851105947%7Ctwgr%5E2b8df505d2491211326c6d5292d3f5ee21d905f3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fmassie-rolls-out-fake-trump-endorsement-with-hours-to-go-before-polls-close">posted</a>. &#8220;I endorsed Ed Gallrein, a true American Patriot, which Massie knows full well, so the statement that he put out is fraudulent, just like HE is fraudulent. WITHDRAW YOUR FAKE STATEMENT, MASSIE, RIGHT NOW.&#8221;
CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings laid into Massie over the &#8220;nasty, gutter politics&#8221; on display, saying, &#8220;There was an undercurrent of antisemitism in this race on the Massie side. There&#8217;s been an undercurrent of it in his career, unfortunately, and it really came out in an ugly way tonight, and I think it needs to be stated, acknowledged, and condemned.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 NEW: Scott Jennings blasts Thomas Massie on his way out the door: “Despicable, anti-Semitic, nasty, gutter politics… it needs to be condemned.”
“What a way to go out. He said, ‘I’d have called Gallrein but I had to find him in Tel Aviv.’.. it needs to be stated, acknowledged… <a href="https://t.co/2TlzBF8syJ">pic.twitter.com/2TlzBF8syJ</a>
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TVNewsNow/status/2056939356393263128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Rep. Thomas Massie Holds Primary Election Night Event In Hebron, Kentucky

Massie Just Couldn’t Help Himself In Concession Speech

Ed Gallrein

Media

Politics

Voters in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District ousted embattled Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Tuesday in the most expensive House primary in American history, marking the latest incumbent to fall amid President Donald Trump’s campaign to purge Republicans he views as disloyal to his agenda.
With 95% of the vote reported, Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and farmer, leads with 55% of the vote. <a href="https://x.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/2056883139234979997?s=20">Decision Desk HQ called the race at 7:41 p.m. ET.</a>  
It’s a stunning political collapse for the libertarian-minded fiscal hawk who rode the Tea Party wave into Congress in 2012 and remained politically untouchable ever since.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-trump-machine-takes-on-thomas-massie-georgians-choose-their-nominees-for-senate-gov?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=LIVE+UPDATES%3A+Trump+Machine+Takes+On+Thomas+Massie+While+Georgia+Braces+For+Primary+Showdowns" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LIVE UPDATES: Republican Primary Voters Go To The Polls In Kentucky, Georgia</a>
Massie’s defeat delivers another political win for Trump, who in recent weeks has exacted revenge against Indiana Republicans who bucked his redistricting effort and Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy for voting to convict Trump on impeachment charges. 
Few Republicans, if any, have provoked more ire from the president than Massie.
In October 2025, Trump recruited and endorsed Gallrein, throwing the full weight of his MAGA political machine to remove Massie from the halls of Congress. In a Truth Social Post rallying his base, Trump called Massie, long a thorn in his side, a &#8220;bum&#8221; and the <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116589795851243755">“worst Republican Congressman in history.”</a>
The president’s frustration with Massie traces back to March 2020, when Trump called Massie a “third rate Grandstander” and urged the GOP to kick him out of the party after he tried to stall a $2.2 trillion COVID aid package. Two years later, Trump endorsed Massie in his primary, hailing him as a “Conservative Warrior” and a “first-rate Defender of the Constitution,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-backs-navy-seal-in-bid-to-knock-off-gop-rep-thomas-massie">The Daily Wire previously reported</a>.
But during Trump’s second term, the Kentucky Republican has stepped up criticism of the administration over a range of foreign and domestic issues. He voted against Trump&#8217;s signature tax cut and spending bill and has accused the administration of <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5658597-doj-releases-epstein-documents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“flaunting the law,”</a> and said Republicans opposed to his discharge petition, forcing the release of Epstein files, were voting to <a href="https://x.com/CatchUpFeed/status/1990185676810137991?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“protect pedophiles.&#8221;</a>  
Massie has also supported resolutions to curb Trump’s authority to launch military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran and has criticized the U.S.-backed operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, who is sitting in a federal jail pending criminal charges. 
“Wake up MAGA. VENEZUELA is not about drugs; it’s about OIL and REGIME CHANGE. This is not what we voted for,” <a href="https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/2007855570447913358?s=20">Massie said in a social media post.</a> 
On the campaign trail, Massie defended his record and insisted on voting independently of the White House. 
“It&#8217;s a question of whether you can have even the slight bit of a dissenting vote on any day at all. Because I vote with the party 90% of the time,” Massie told a local news outlet. “It&#8217;s a referendum, I do believe, on whether the legislative branch works for the executive branch or if we are co-equal branches.”
The campaign drew unprecedented third-party spending, amassing more than $32.6M and becoming the most expensive House primary on record, <a href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2056399251890926063?s=20">according to AdImpact. </a>Pro-Gallrein spending accounted for $18.8M compared to $13.2M Pro-Massie fundraising. 
In addition to the <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?committee_id=C00908723">MAGA KY super PAC</a> founded by former Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita, pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition, have spent millions opposing Massie, <a href="https://x.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/2056404117908570294?s=20">according to Decision Desk HQ.</a> 
Massie, on the other hand, mostly accepted out-of-state money from anti-war progressives, Muslim-American activists, and left-aligned PACs, including Integrity Political Action Committee (IPAC), which recently partnered with a chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to undermine ICE, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/massie-fight-political-life-leftists-islamist-donors?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Massie+Enters+Fight+For+Political+Life+Flanked+By+Islamists%2C+Left-Wing+Donors">The Daily Wire previously reported.</a>
Money aside, the race drew political heavy-hitters into Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, which stretches along the Ohio River and includes much of the suburban and exurban corridor between Cincinnati and Louisville.
Over the weekend, Trump threatened to support a primary challenge against Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) after she hit the campaign trail to support Massie. 
In Saturday night Truth Social posts, Trump railed against Republicans backing Massie for “parading around like fools,” calling Boebert “weak-minded.”
“Boebert is campaigning for the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116586609402311469">Trump said.</a>  “Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement and endorse a good and proper alternative,” he said.
“Yes, I saw the president’s post. No, I’m not mad or offended. I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie. I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA,” Boebert said in response.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday hit the stump for Gallrein.
“At some point, being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing nothing,” Hegseth said at a Kentucky campaign event. “President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point, especially from his own party. He needs people willing to help him win, to vote with him when it matters the most.” 
In response, Massie said, “Dogs don’t bark at parked cars.” 
“The fact you got cabinet secretaries that may be coming to my district to campaign against me, during a war, shows how serious this is to the global elites that I lose,” <a href="https://x.com/Holden_Culotta/status/2055282383406993911?s=20">he said.</a>

Thomas Massie/Donald Trump

Trump Machine Topples Thomas Massie

Congress

Elections

News

U.S. House

Rep. Mike Collins

LIVE UPDATES: High-Stakes Georgia Primaries Could Reshape 2026 Midterms

Georgia

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) attempted to muddy the waters in Kentucky&#8217;s primary election on Tuesday, sending out a text blast with a 2022 endorsement message from President Donald Trump as though it were current.
Massie, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/team-trump-goes-all-out-to-oust-thomas-massie">fighting</a> for his political life against Trump-endorsed primary challenger and retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, cropped the date out of the old endorsement message before texting it to voters in Kentucky&#8217;s 4th Congressional District.
Journalist Salena Zito shared a screenshot of the text message on X, accusing the Massie campaign of misleading voters about Trump&#8217;s current position in the race.
&#8220;Kentucky election day shenanigans; Massie campaign sends out to KY 4 voters via text a 2022 Trump statement making it look like the president supports Massie today where he clearly supports Gallrein. Text ends with &#8216;Paid for by Thomas Massie for Congress Reply STOP to opt-out.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Kentucky election day shenanigans; 
Massie campaign sends out to KY 4 voters via text a 2022 Trump 
statement making it look like the president supports Massie today where he clearly supports Gallrein
Text ends with &#8220;Paid for by Thomas Massie for Congress
Reply STOP to opt-out&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/cJwFB75Dkk">pic.twitter.com/cJwFB75Dkk</a>
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZitoSalena/status/2056792127028261307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The screenshot contained Trump&#8217;s full 2022 endorsement of Massie, but omitted the original posting date.
&#8220;Congressman Thomas Massie is a Conservative Warrior for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District!&#8221; the endorsement read in part. &#8220;An MIT graduate and a first-rate Defender of the Constitution, Thomas fights hard to Protect your Liberties, especially the First and Second Amendments, which are under siege by the Radical Left. Strong on the Border and our Military and Vets, Thomas Massie has my Complete and Total Endorsement!&#8221;
Massie&#8217;s text blast prompted an angry response from Trump — and a rare post on X.
&#8220;Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie put out an old Endorsement, from many years ago, of him by me long before I found out that he was the Worst Congressman in the History of our Country,&#8221; Trump posted. &#8220;I endorsed Ed Gallrein, a true American Patriot, which Massie knows full well, so the statement that he put out is fraudulent, just like HE is fraudulent. WITHDRAW YOUR FAKE STATEMENT, MASSIE, RIGHT NOW! President DONALD J. TRUMP.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie put out an old Endorsement, from many years ago, of him by me long before I found out that he was the Worst Congressman in the History of our Country. I endorsed Ed Gallrein, a true American Patriot, which Massie knows full well, so the…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/2056827052851105947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The president followed that with a second post on his Truth Social platform, adding, &#8220;Can you imagine &#8216;Congressman&#8217; Thomas Massie putting out a many years ago Endorsement of him, by me, when he knows that he wasn’t endorsed, but that I proudly endorsed Ed Gallrein? The reason is that Massie has turned out to be the Worst Congressman in the Republican Party. This shows what a totally dishonest and desperate guy Massie is, and I hope the Voters aren’t fooled by his deception!&#8221;
The battle between Massie and Gallrein also brought about a rare campaign stop from War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-pete-hegseth-recreates-trump-pep-talk-word-for-word">ripped</a> into Massie on Monday as he promoted Gallrein as the kind of fighter Republicans need in Congress.

Representative Thomas Massie

Massie Rolls Out Fake Trump Endorsement With Hours To Go Before Polls Close

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has pulled out all the stops to get rid of Thomas Massie.
The president and his team have waged war on the Kentucky congressman for his disloyalty to Trump on a plethora of issues — the war in Iran, the Epstein files, the One Big Beautiful Bill, and more. From Truth Social posts to actively campaigning for Massie&#8217;s opponent on the ground, Trump has sent the same scathing message, over and over again: Massie is a &#8220;total disaster as a congressman, and frankly, a human being,&#8221; and the people of Kentucky&#8217;s 4th Congressional District need to vote him out.
Today, Kentuckians will decide between Massie and his opponent, Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer. A Massie win would be a crushing defeat for Team Trump and their allies. A Massie loss would be a triumphant victory for the president — and a signal to the rest of the Republican party that they must fall in line, or else.
“Republicans are in lockstep with President Trump — the ultimate turnout driver — and making major investments to win,&#8221; RNC spokeswoman Emma Hall told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Democrats are out of money, running toxic far-left candidates, and stuck defending a historically unpopular agenda.”
Massie hasn&#8217;t had a serious opponent since he first won his seat in 2012. Yet in the days leading up to the election, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/kentucky-us-house-4-polls-2026.html">some polls find Massie&#8217;s challenger ahead.</a> Gallrein is a fifth-generation farmer, a 68-year-old veteran with four Bronze Stars from his time serving in the United States military. His campaign rhetoric is laced with military jargon, and he often references his work on the farm at home. And he has Trump on his side.
&#8220;Feel good,&#8221; a person close to Gallrein shared with the Daily Wire on Tuesday morning. &#8220;It’s a close race, but we believe Ed Gallrein is on the right side of it.&#8221;
Massie is banking on voters sticking with his anti-establishment platform, arguing that he is determined to stand by his principles and refuses to merely blow with Trumpian winds.
“I’m not a go-along-to-get-along congressman,” he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/us/politics/thomas-massie-kentucky-trump-election.html">told The New York Times</a>. “And that has endeared me to a lot of the constituents who are part of this coalition that put us in the White House.”
On the other hand, Team Trump is aggressively emphasizing that Trump has repeatedly won Kentucky — &#8220;won big SIX TIMES,&#8221; as the president puts it — and Massie is no longer aligned with Trump. They&#8217;re banking on the massive power of The Trump Endorsement, and on Kentuckians siding with the president. And with a massive win in Indiana following the savaging of Republican senators who resisted Trump&#8217;s redistricting efforts, Team Trump is also feeling good.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t see how anybody can reasonably claim to be a member of a political party in good standing when you make it your business to try to derail the main agenda items of that party, which is exactly what Thomas Massie has done,&#8221; said Tim Murtaugh, former communications director to Donald Trump and a senior campaign adviser to Gallrein.
He&#8217;s also &#8220;stuck his finger in the eye&#8221; of Donald Trump and his White House, Murtaugh noted, and it is Donald Trump who &#8220;represents this party.&#8221;
&#8220;He&#8217;s a president who carried this district over Kamala Harris by 36 points in 2024, and Thomas Massie decides that he&#8217;s bigger than that margin? I don&#8217;t think so. This is very much Donald Trump&#8217;s Republican party, not Thomas Massie&#8217;s.&#8221;
Trump himself went to Kentucky to campaign against Massie in March, calling the Kentucky congressman a &#8220;disaster for our party,&#8221; and warning the crowd: &#8220;Get rid of this loser. This guy is bad.&#8221; Trump then brought Massie&#8217;s challenger, Ed Gallrein, on stage and praised him for his loyalty to both the country and to Trump himself.
“As you folks know, you deserve an authentic, true Republican conservative that stands shoulder to shoulder with our president and the Republican party and against the Democrats who are trying to destroy our nation,” Gallrein told the crowd, adding: “Mr. President, I will stand with you and the party to put America first and Kentucky always.&#8221;
In recent days, the president has also promoted claims from podcaster Laura Loomer describing an alleged ex-girlfriend of Massie&#8217;s named Cynthia West, whom Loomer says was pressured by Massie to &#8220;perform sexual acts&#8221; she was uncomfortable with. Trump has also criticized Massie for remarrying so quickly after his wife of 31 years passed away (the 55-year-old congressman remarried 16 months later to 36-year-old Carolyn Grace Moffa).
As Trump launches onslaught after onslaught on Massie from Truth Social, he&#8217;s also deployed top White House operatives James Blair and Chris LaCivita to oust Massie.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Blair said he knows Massie will lose &#8220;because I know the numbers.&#8221; Voters, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ede39e87-c489-432c-b5e0-09da19b591dc?syn-25a6b1a6=1">he promised</a>, “disagree with [Massie&#8217;s] choice to consistently side with the Democrats in voting against every Republican priority.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gotta another one coming Tuesday …. <a href="https://t.co/7rYnJj3xnj">pic.twitter.com/7rYnJj3xnj</a>
— Chris LaCivita (@ChrisLaCivita) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisLaCivita/status/2056132941806444888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
LaCivita, known for his sharp tongue and unabashed attacks on political opponents, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/16/kentucky-republican-primary-election-massie-gallrein#:~:text=Two%20of%20the%20president's%20most,the%20Beltway%20v%20the%20Bluegrass%E2%80%9D.">is leading the MAGA KY</a> political action committee backing Gallrein, alongside Trump adviser and pollster Tony Fabrizio. LaCivita is also ruthless on social media in his criticisms of Massie — on Monday, for example, he posted about <a href="https://x.com/ChrisLaCivita/status/2056496890519167238?s=20">scandalous rumors regarding</a> Massie and his genitalia, setting off the congressional security alarms. On Sunday, he posted a satirical video of Trump hitting Bill Cassidy in the head with a golf ball immediately after the ousted senator says, &#8220;I voted to convict Trump.&#8221;
&#8220;Gotta another one coming Tuesday,&#8221; promised LaCivita.
A Republican will retain the seat no matter what, one Republican strategist close to the race shared. &#8220;I can&#8217;t really say for certain what&#8217;s going to happen, but Kentucky is a ruby red seat. We&#8217;re obviously feeling very confident about retaining that.&#8221;
&#8220;In Indiana, five Indiana state senators lost to the president&#8217;s endorsed candidate,&#8221; that strategist pointed out, noting that no one should be underestimating the &#8220;strengths of the president&#8217;s endorsement,&#8221; or &#8220;how popular the president is in these races.&#8221;
&#8220;All of these candidates that we&#8217;re seeing are running on his record, they are running on his agenda, and the things that he&#8217;s been able to deliver.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s endorsement is certainly clear, but White House support for Gallrein goes far beyond that.
Astonishing amounts of cash are flowing into the race. The Gallrein campaign and other outside groups have spent over $14 million on his bid to defeat Massie. About $9 million of that is from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other pro-Israel groups, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/17/massie-aipac-record-spending-israel-maga-trump-primary-00925375?utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_source=dlvr.it">according to POLITICO</a>.
Even more pro-Israel groups have dumped cash into the Trump-aligned PAC, MAGA KY, POLITICO reports, which has gained $1 million from Paul Singer, $250,000 from hedge fund manager John Paulson, and $750,000 from Preserve America PAC, a PAC tied to Miriam Adelson.
Just one day ahead of the highly anticipated election, the campaign played another key card: the Secretary of War himself. Pete Hegseth made his way down to Kentucky to rally with Gallrein (in his personal capacity, the War Department said in a statement), drawing on their similarities as veterans and hitting at Massie for failing to back Trump.
“At some point, constant obstruction is not leadership, it&#8217;s just commentary,&#8221; Hegseth told the cheering crowd. &#8220;It&#8217;s obstruction. Too often, Massie acts like his job is to stand apart from the movement that Trump leads instead of strengthening it.”
And in an election-eve message, posted to social media by top Trump ally Alex Bruesewitz, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller sent a final admonishment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Attention <a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepThomasMassie</a> and Kentucky-4, the GREAT <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenM</a> has a message for you.
Massie needs to go! <a href="https://t.co/7v3V0Yoite">pic.twitter.com/7v3V0Yoite</a>
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexbruesewitz/status/2056566840894033933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Tom Massie betrayed America, betrayed you, and betrayed your children,&#8221; said Miller. &#8220;The single most important issue affecting the future of our country is ending the mass third-world invasion of America and reversing that invasion. And on the most important issue, on the most important vote, on the most important bill, on the most important day, Tom Massie sided with every House Democrat&#8230;against President Trump, against the American people, and against YOU and your family.&#8221;

0efbe74e-1eb0-451f-a8cc-fe3aa71373f2

Team Trump Goes All Out To Oust Thomas Massie

Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican congressman locked in a heated primary battle with a Trump-backed challenger, is fundraising from anti-war, Muslim-American activists, and leftist-aligned PACs. 
President Trump has called Massie, long a thorn in his side, the <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116589795851243755">“worst Republican Congressman in history”</a>, throwing the weight of his MAGA political machine behind his opponent to oust him. The Kentucky Republican has emerged as a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, Iran, and the president’s signature “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
In October 2025, Trump recruited and endorsed Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein to challenge Massie.
Since then, the money has poured in, making Tuesday’s primary election the most expensive in U.S. history. Politico reported that more than $32 million has been spent on the contest, including a wave of outside spending from deep-pocketed third-party groups against Massie, including AIPAC, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and others. 
Tuesday’s election may be the clearest test yet of whether Massie’s political durability can withstand the force of Trump’s endorsement. In the campaign’s final stretch, Massie has leaned heavily into the role of outside and third-party influence to explain polling slippage. 
“After months of beating around the bush, one reporter finally writes the true story of my race, and when asked, the lobbyists brag about it,” Massie said of a Politico story highlighting Pro-Israel spending. “A coalition of Israel’s lobbyists and donors is spending tens of millions of dollars in a blatant attempt to buy a KY congressional seat.”
At the same time, more than 90% of Massie’s individual donors come from outside Kentucky, with the largest shares from California, Texas, and Florida, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/profiles/thomas-massie/us_congress/individual_donors?mpid=1091614&amp;cycle=2026&amp;display=combined">according to OpenSecrets</a>, a nonprofit that tracks money in U.S. politics. Only 5% of his individual contributions come from Kentucky.
The Congressman also appears to be accepting money from billionaires, anti-war progressives, Muslim-American activists, and left-aligned PACs with foreign ties well beyond Kentucky. 
<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2025/12/09/thomas-massie-facing-trumps-opposition-gets-a-hand-from-billionaire-megadonor/">The Kentucky Lantern</a> reported that <a href="https://www.kentuckyfirstpac.com/">Kentucky First PAC</a>, one of the main pro-Massie outside groups, ran a $1 million advertising blitz funded in large part by a contribution traceable to a group backed by billionaire financier Jeff Yass. 
Yass, 67, is the co-founder of the Philadelphia-based trading firm Susquehanna International Group. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/profiles/jeffrey-s-yass/?embedded-checkout=true">Bloomberg reports</a> he is worth $84.6 billion, making him the 22nd wealthiest person in the world. Yass also holds a minority stake in ByteDance, the Beijing-based Chinese technology company that owns a minority stake in TikTok.
In October 2025, Yass contributed millions to a super PAC called Protect Freedom Political Action Committee, which was created in 2017 by political advisors to Senator Rand Paul, according to The Kentucky Lantern. The group’s cash dwindled to $114,000 until Yass infused $7.5 million on Oct. 20 for Massie’s campaign. 
A Texas-based businessman, <a href="https://thecapitalchartroom.com/sam-mahrouq-from-refugee-roots-to-business-titan/">raised in a Palestinian refugee camp</a>, has also made notable political donations to Rep. Thomas Massie. Sam Mahrouq, a Muslim-American, gave $7,000 to Massie last year — the maximum allowed per election cycle, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/meet-the-muslim-american-businessman-bankrolling-squad-dems-anti-aipac-outfits-and-marjorie-taylor-greene-and-thomas-massie/">according to The Free Press. </a>
His wife, Rania, and their children, Raneem and Zaid Mahrouq, individually donated $7,000 to Massie’s campaign as well. An additional $7,000 contribution to Massie came from Mohammad Mahrouq. Federal Election Commission filings indicate he shares the same address as the rest of the family and is employed by Ikon Technologies, a software company founded and owned by Mahrouq, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/meet-the-muslim-american-businessman-bankrolling-squad-dems-anti-aipac-outfits-and-marjorie-taylor-greene-and-thomas-massie/">according to The Free Press.</a>
Mahrouq has also donated to groups backing Senator Chris Van Hollen, James Talarico, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Anti-Zionist political groups, according to <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=mahrouq&amp;contributor_city=arlington&amp;contributor_state=TX">FEC filings.</a>
The financial records highlight the broad left-wing network backing Massie’s reelection campaign. That has manifested on the media front during the home stretch as well, with Massie accepting backing from left-wing figures like Cenk Uygur. 
Integrity Political Action Committee (IPAC), which recently partnered with a chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to target and undermine ICE, has also backed Massie.
“This coalition has united to advocate for immigrant rights and challenge what they describe as violations of constitutional rights by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. government,” the PAC says, <a href="https://ipac7.org/media">according to its website.</a>   
<a href="https://x.com/IPAC7_ORG/status/1956889520408011003?s=20">An August 2025 social media post</a> shows Massie posing alongside IPAC chairman Rafed Aljoboury. One week earlier, Aljoboury donated $500 to Massie’s campaign, according to The Free Press, citing campaign finance disclosures. 
Aljoboury is also the Chairman of a licensed <a href="https://udrf.org/about">non-governmental organization (NGO)</a> that claims to provide “saving assistance to civilians affected by conflict, with a primary focus on Gaza.”
“IPAC stands with<a href="https://x.com/RepThomasMassie"> Rep. ThomasMassie</a> and support his re-election campaign. It was a pleasure to meet him and we are looking forward to work with him as a true America First candidate,” the group said in the social media post. “ Rep. Massie against AIPAC influence on our demonic and foreign policies.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
IPAC stands with <a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepThomasMassie</a> and support his re-election campaign. It was a pleasure to meet him and we are looking forward to work with him as a true America First candidate. 
Rep. Massie against AIPAC influence on our demonic and foreign policies. <a href="https://t.co/l1LyX5OSTq">pic.twitter.com/l1LyX5OSTq</a>
— Integrity Political Action Committee (@IPAC7_ORG) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPAC7_ORG/status/1956889520408011003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>

Rep. Thomas Massie

Massie Enters Fight For Political Life Flanked By Islamists, Left-Wing Donors

President Donald Trump threatened to support a primary challenge against Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) after she hit the campaign trail to support embattled Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie. 
In Saturday night Truth Social posts, Trump railed against Republicans backing Massie for &#8220;parading around like fools,&#8221; calling Boebert &#8220;weak-minded.&#8221;
“Boebert is campaigning for the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116586609402311469">Trump said.</a>  “Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement and endorse a good and proper alternative,” he said.
&#8220;Yes, I saw the President’s post. No, I’m not mad or offended. I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie. I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA,&#8221; Boebert said in response.
Before Trump’s threat, the Colorado Republican attempted to thread the needle between her support for both Massie and Trump. 
&#8220;Below is my friend Thomas Massie. He loves America and is fighting to save it. Also below is my friend and President, Donald Trump. He’s put his life on the line to save this great country. I support both of these men. I’ve worked with both to preserve freedom and liberty,&#8221; Boebert posted on social media. &#8220;And if that makes you angry, bless your heart.&#8221; 
The filing deadline has passed for new candidates to enter the race, and neither of Boebert&#8217;s initial primary challengers qualified for the ballot, so she is running unopposed.
Massie, long a thorn in the side of Trump, is currently facing the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thomas-massie-is-a-political-survivor-but-this-time-might-be-different?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=9&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Thomas+Massie+Is+A+Political+Survivor+%E2%80%94+But+This+Time+Might+Be+Different">toughest challenge of his political career</a> in the most expensive U.S. House primary of all time.
The Kentucky Republican has emerged as a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, Iran, and the president’s signature “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Now, Trump is throwing the full weight of his political machine behind Massie&#8217;s primary challenger. In January, Trump endorsed Captain Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer opposing Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.
&#8220;The man running against Massie, Ed Gallrein, is a true American Patriot, a Farmer from Kentucky, and a Military Hero,&#8221; Trump said in a Saturday night social media post. &#8220;He is loyal, and MAGA all the way — VOTE FOR ED GALLREIN, AND WIPE AWAY THE STENCH OF ONE OF THE WORST CONGRESSMEN IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT PARTY, THOMAS MASSIE. MAY WE NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM AGAIN!&#8221;
Conventional political wisdom suggests Massie enters Tuesday’s primary with significant structural advantages. The libertarian-minded fiscal hawk has deep roots in the district, riding the Tea Party wave into Congress in 2012 and remaining politically untouchable ever since.
Yet, Massie’s tendency to break with Trump is alienating segments of the MAGA faithful.
A new Quantus Insights survey shows Gallrein leading Massie 53%-45% among likely Republican primary voters, marking the first public poll to show the Trump-backed challenger ahead.  
Massie is blaming third-party spending in the race for his slippage in the polls. 
“After months of beating around the bush, one reporter finally writes the true story of my race and when asked, the lobbyists brag about it,” Massie said of a Politico story highlighting Pro-Israel spending. “A coalition of Israel’s lobbyists and donors is spending tens of millions of dollars in a blatant attempt to buy a KY congressional seat.&#8221;
The home stretch in Kentucky comes after Louisiana Republicans <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/voters-decide-fate-of-senator-who-voted-to-convict-trump?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Voters+Decide+Fate+Of+Senator+Who+Voted+To+Convict+Trump">voted to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy</a>, rejecting the incumbent who voted to convict President Donald Trump on impeachment charges. Trump also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-flexes-political-muscle-against-republicans-who-bucked-him-on-redistricting?row=0&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay">successfully ousted</a> several state senators in Indiana who voted against redistricting earlier this month.

Lauren Boebert on Capitol Hill

Trump Threatens Primary Challenge Against Another Republican For Siding With Massie

Lauren Boebert

President Donald Trump took one last shot at Senator Bill Cassidy as Louisiana headed to the polls on Saturday, urging voters to throw their support behind the incumbent Republican&#8217;s primary challenger.
&#8220;Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is a disloyal disaster,&#8221; the president wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116584450399753941">Truth Social</a>, noting that the two-term senator voted to impeach him after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. &#8220;Bill Cassidy is a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA. Now he’s going to get CLOBBERED, hopefully, in today’s BIG election, by two great people!!!&#8221;
One of those people, Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-slugfest-all-but-inevitable-as-trump-backed-lawmaker-enters-louisiana-race">Julia Letlow</a> (R-LA), earned Trump&#8217;s endorsement shortly after entering the race in January. Letlow, who took office in April 2021 following the death of her husband, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, has positioned herself as an America First lawmaker and attacked Cassidy from the right.
&#8220;In a state as conservative as ours, we shouldn’t have to wonder how our senator will vote when the pressure’s on,&#8221; Letlow wrote at the launch of her campaign. &#8220;Louisiana deserves conservative champions, leaders who will not flinch.&#8221; Letlow has since endorsed President Trump&#8217;s call for the Senate to eliminate the filibuster in order to pass the <a href="https://x.com/jbletlow/status/2052485326774419954?s=20">SAVE America Act</a>, election integrity legislation that has stalled in the upper chamber.
Letlow also emerged as a supporter of Casey Means, a leading figure in the Make America Healthy Again movement and Trump&#8217;s nominee for surgeon general. Letlow slammed Cassidy for <a href="https://x.com/jbletlow/status/2036859168401859009">holding up</a> Means&#8217;s nomination, calling on him to &#8220;stop dragging his feet, do his job, and help advance President Trump’s agenda.&#8221; Cassidy, a physician, <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/25/casey-means-bill-cassidy-face-off-on-vaccines/">opposed</a> Means&#8217;s nomination given what he called her &#8220;promotion of vaccine skepticism.&#8221;
Cassidy questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. along those lines during the latter&#8217;s Senate hearing, before ultimately voting to confirm him as Secretary of Health and Human Services. He did not relent on Means, however, and Trump late last month <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/third-times-the-charm-trumps-new-nominee-for-surgeon-general">pulled her nomination</a>, steering more MAHA ire toward Cassidy.
Louisiana is not the only state where Trump has gotten involved in Republican primaries. The president threw his support behind Ed Gallerin, a retired Navy SEAL challenging Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). Massie&#8217;s criticism of the war in Iran and the Trump administration&#8217;s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files put him firmly in the president&#8217;s crosshairs.
“The incredible people of Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, who want desperately to get rid of Thomas Massie, the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman we have had in many years,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thomas-massie-is-a-political-survivor-but-this-time-might-be-different">wrote</a> on Truth Social this month. Trump&#8217;s involvement raised the stakes considerably in the Kentucky race, which has now become the most expensive House primary in American history. Kentucky voters head to the polls on Tuesday.
Letlow has maintained a consistent lead in the polls. On primary day, the RealClearPolitics polling average had her 13 points ahead of Cassidy. Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming trails Letlow by 8 points, but leads Cassidy by 3. A candidate <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-blasts-sen-bill-cassidy-disloyal-disaster-pushes-challenger-julia-letlow-louisiana-gop-primary">must secure</a> more than 50% of the vote in order to clinch the party&#8217;s nomination. If no candidate crosses that threshold, the top two candidates will head for a June 27 runoff.
The winner of Saturday&#8217;s primary will enter the general election with a heavy advantage over whichever candidate clinches the Democrat nomination, given Louisiana&#8217;s solid Republican tilt. Polls close at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Untitled design – 2026-05-16T154111.292

Trump Slams ‘Disloyal Disaster’ Bill Cassidy As Louisiana Voters Head To The Polls

bill Cassidy

Louisiana

Republican Primary

Sen. Rand Paul&#8217;s (R-KY) son, William Paul, said Wednesday he is seeking treatment after unleashing a drunken antisemitic tirade at Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who is not Jewish.
&#8220;Last night, I had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am. I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem,&#8221; William Paul <a href="https://x.com/TastyBrew1776/status/2054658199840559352?s=20">posted on X</a>.
The scene unfolded on Tuesday evening at a Washington, D.C. bar, where Lawler was speaking with News Of The U.S. (<a href="https://www.notus.org/congress/william-paul-mike-lawler-confrontation-antisemitism">NOTUS</a>) reporter Reese Gorman.
The younger Paul interrupted to inform Lawler that if Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) loses his upcoming primary, it will be because of &#8220;your people.&#8221;
&#8220;My people?&#8221; Lawler asked.
&#8220;Yeah, you Jews,&#8221; was Paul&#8217;s response.
Lawler was taken aback: &#8220;Do you think I&#8217;m Jewish? I&#8217;m not.&#8221;
Paul apologized for the assumption, but continued making antisemitic remarks, claiming Jewish people were &#8220;anti-American&#8221; and accusing Lawler&#8217;s supposed Jewish supporters of prioritizing Israel over the United States.
The New York congressman recounted the conversation for <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/us-news/sen-rand-pauls-son-erupts-in-drunken-tirade-against-gays-and-the-jews/">The New York Post</a>, explaining that Paul had already appeared to be pretty &#8220;drunk&#8221; and was behaving in a &#8220;belligerent&#8221; manner when he first approached — and had immediately launched his tirade.
&#8220;So Rand Paul’s f*cking son is sitting next to us at the bar … And he just like chimes in on our conversation, f*cking drunk and belligerent, and then starts going off about, you know, if [Rep. Thomas] Massie [R-KY] loses [his primary], it’s because of my people,&#8221; Lawler said, adding, &#8220;I’m like, ‘What people?’ He goes, ‘Jews,’ and I’m like, ‘Do you think I’m Jewish? … I’m Irish-Italian Catholic, buddy.'&#8221;
Lawler said that Paul claimed the United States was trying to steal land from Iran in order to give it to Jewish people, at which point he said he asked the younger Paul what he was talking about.
&#8220;This war, it’s all about the gays and the Jews, and I hate them both, and I don’t care if they die,&#8221; Paul reportedly told Lawler before advising him to watch more Tucker Carlson.
Lawler said he attempted to end the conversation, saying, &#8220;Well, you just seem to hate Jews, so there’s no point arguing anymore.&#8221;
Paul then accused Lawler of putting words in his mouth and gave him the middle finger before admitting that he was &#8220;really drunk&#8221; and making a quick exit.
Paul has had previous legal troubles stemming from a 2013 assault charge that was dropped and a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/22/politics/rand-paul-son-dui">2015 DUI</a>, to which he pleaded guilty.
When asked about the situation, Sen. Paul told NBC News reporter Frank Thorp, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have anything for you on it.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-CONGRESS

Rand Paul’s Son Rants Against ‘Gays’ And ‘Jews’ During Alcohol-Fueled Tirade

antisemitism

Rand Paul

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has survived bruising political fights before, but the most expensive U.S. House primary in American history may pose the greatest threat yet to his political career.
The Kentucky Republican has been a thorn in President Donald Trump’s side for much of his second term, emerging as a vocal critic of the administration&#8217;s handling of the Epstein files, Iran, and the president&#8217;s signature “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Now, Trump is backing a primary challenger in a campaign to end Massie&#8217;s congressional career.
In January, Trump — widely seen as the GOP’s kingmaker — endorsed Captain Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer opposing Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.
“The incredible people of Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, who want desperately to get rid of Thomas Massie, the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman we have had in many years, gave us a mandate to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115844769291604784"> Trump said in a Truth Social post.</a> “The person that will help us do the job, and do it right, is Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, Fifth Generation Kentucky Farmer, and American Hero, Captain Ed Gallrein, a true Patriot.”
<a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/11/thomas-massie-ed-gallrein-kentucky-aipac-trump">Axios reported</a> that more than $25 million has poured into the contest, including a wave of outside spending from deep-pocketed third-party groups, making it the most expensive House primary in American history.
Conventional political wisdom suggests Massie enters Tuesday’s primary with significant structural advantages. The libertarian-minded fiscal hawk has deep roots in the district, riding the Tea Party wave into Congress in 2012 and remaining politically untouchable ever since. 
Yet, Massie’s tendency to break with Trump and Republican leadership has angered the White House and may be alienating segments of the MAGA faithful.
<a href="https://quantusinsights.org/f/kentucky-cd4-republican-primary-gallrein-leads-massie">A new Quantus Insights survey</a> shows Gallrein leading Massie 53%-45% among likely Republican primary voters, marking the first public poll to show the Trump-backed challenger ahead.  
&#8220;Massie retains a substantial base, but the topline suggests that a meaningful share of the Republican primary electorate is already prepared to move in another direction,&#8221; <a href="https://quantusinsights.org/f/kentucky-cd4-republican-primary-gallrein-leads-massie">the polling firm said,</a> pointing to Massie&#8217;s durable appeal as a fiscal conservative skeptical of leadership.
&#8220;Gallrein’s support reflects the power of Trump’s endorsement, the weight of national conservative attention, and the ability of a challenger to consolidate voters who believe the district needs a different representative,&#8221; <a href="https://quantusinsights.org/f/kentucky-cd4-republican-primary-gallrein-leads-massie">the polling analysis added. </a>
The same pollster in April showed Massie ahead 47%-38%, a <a href="https://quantusinsights.org/f/massie-leads-but-the-kentucky-primary-remains-competitive">double-digit swing</a> toward Gallrein in one month. Prediction markets moved on the news. <a href="https://kalshi.com/markets/kxky4r/kentucky-4-republican-primary/kxky4r-26">Kalshi</a> now gives Gallrein a 50% chance of winning Tuesday&#8217;s primary, up from 33% on Tuesday. 
The fresh polling wasn’t the only setback for the Kentucky Republican. On Wednesday, a former girlfriend accused Massie of offering her $5,000 to withdraw a wrongful termination complaint against Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (R-IN), <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/13/thomas-massie-cynthia-west-nda-spartz">according to Axios.</a>
&#8220;It’s sad that a week before this election, people are making false and unsubstantiated allegations about me in an obvious attempt to influence the outcome of this election,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/MassieforKY/status/2054558122438435079?s=20">Massie said.</a> &#8220;All of the claims of inappropriate conduct are false. I’ve never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence. I report all of my farm income, including cash, to the IRS.&#8221;
On the campaign trail, Massie acknowledged the tightening race.  
“The race is within the margin of error,” <a href="https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/thomas-massie-gop-primary-against-trump-backed-challenger/417-249d14e8-b217-451b-a025-16ec595c3d0e">Massie told a local news outlet on Tuesday.</a> “I think it&#8217;s going to be close. I really do. I feel like I&#8217;m going to win. I feel like the enthusiasm is on the ground here.”
At a Monday campaign event in Boone County, signs of a fractured Republican base were on full display.
“I support the president more than any other time… Give me a reason to vote for you this time,” one female voter told Massie. 
Massie responded in part, “First of all, I’m not running against Donald Trump.&#8221;
Another male voter fired back, “I don’t understand why you vote against Trump.”
Other voters, including Cathy Beil, appreciate Massie&#8217;s independence from the president. 
“He&#8217;s a man of his word, and he&#8217;s not afraid to stand up for what his constituents want from him,” Beil told WHAS11.
“Thomas Massie inspires confidence without being a con man, and that&#8217;s why Donald Trump hates him,” another Massie supporter said. 
Trump’s relationship with Massie has been a roller-coaster ride. 
In March 2020, Trump called Massie a “third rate Grandstander” and urged the GOP to kick him out of the party. Two years later, Trump endorsed Massie in his Republican primary, referring to him as a “Conservative Warrior” and a “first-rate Defender of the Constitution,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-backs-navy-seal-in-bid-to-knock-off-gop-rep-thomas-massie">The Daily Wire previously reported</a>.
But during Trump&#8217;s second term, Massie has regularly criticized the administration&#8217;s foreign and domestic policies.
Massie also condemned the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, <a href="https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/2007855570447913358">arguing</a> that the operation was only “about oil and regime change.”
“This is not what we voted for,” he said.
Kentucky&#8217;s 4th Congressional District primary is set for Tuesday, May 19.

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