WorldKentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary Tuesday in another test of U.S. President Donald Trump's power over his party after he handpicked challenger and ultimate winner Ed Gallrein to oust the incumbent.Result adds to growing number of Trump-backed challengers to defeat Republicans who angered presidentThe Associated Press · Posted: May 19, 2026 8:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein greets supporters in Covington, Ky., on Tuesday. Multiple U.S. media outlets reported Tuesday night that Gallrein was the projected winner in the Republican primary for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Associated Press)Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary Tuesday in another test of President Donald Trump's power over his party after he handpicked challenger and ultimate winner Ed Gallrein to oust the incumbent. The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN and NBC News each projected the Trump-backed Gallrein as the winner on Tuesday.The result showed the president's persisting influence over GOP voters, adding to a growing number of Trump-backed primary challengers to defeat Republican lawmakers who angered him in his second term, including Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana and several Indiana state senators who defied him on redistricting.Massie, who has served in Congress since 2012, is one of the last and 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 both for him and for Trump.Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, ran on his military service and loyalty to the president. He accused Massie of forsaking Trump and the party. Gallrein is expected to win the general election against Democrat Melissa Strange in the deeply red district.Republican Rep. Thomas Massie speaks to reporters in Lexington, Ky., after a televised debate earlier this month. (Jon Cherry/The Associated Press)The president visited Kentucky to boost Gallrein in March. The primary turned white hot in the final stretch of the campaign as Massie recruited a phalanx of other Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, in an attempt to show voters that they could support both him and Trump. Trump is gunning for Republican Thomas Massie, who defied him on Epstein filesTrump ratcheted up his social media attacks on Massie, calling him "an obstructionist and a fool," and Gallrein shared a stage with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday.Also Tuesday, Republicans statewide chose U.S. Rep. Andy Barr as their nominee to replace Mitch McConnell, the longtime U.S. Senate leader. In a contest representing a generational changing of the guard for the party, Barr, who was endorsed by Trump, bested Daniel Cameron, a former state attorney general who leaned into his Christianity on the campaign trail. With files from CBC News