The president ousted the Kentucky congressman, as voters went to the polls in primaries in six states including Georgia and Pennsylvania.Show Caption
President Donald Trump catapulted his least favorite House Republican -- Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie -- out of office in another successful Make America Great Again purge ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.Political newcomer Ed Gallrein, a farmer and former Navy SEAL, is projected to be the GOP nominee in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, according to NBC News and Reuters.The must-watch Bluegrass State battle generated significant national attention largely because of how much energy Trump and his allies put toward ousting Massie, who has criticized Trump for increasing the budget deficit, starting a war in Iran and failing to release the Justice Department's files on Jeffrey Epstein.Voters from across the country were also casting ballots in other critical races that will further shape the fall map, including competitive swing districts in Pennsylvania and an open seat for governor in battleground Georgia.Trump also made headlines by stirring up the runoff for the Republican Texas Senate nomination by endorsing state Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn, a decision that will sharply divide the GOP in the Lone Star State and Washington.Here are the key takeaways.Another dissenter bites the dustIn primary after primary this year, Trump has asserted that dissidents have no place in the Republican Party and that point was emphatically made leading up to the May 19 contest.On May 16, Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow defeated Sen. Bill Cassidy in the Louisiana Republican primary. Cassidy earned Trump's ire by voting to convict the president in his second impeachment trial, for causing the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.But this contest became a bruising and personal primary that centered on fealty to Trump versus Massie's well-known independent streak. Massie hasThe president verbally pummeled the libertarian-leaning incumbent for months, calling Massie the "worst Republican congressman in the history of the country" at a tele-rally on May 18.Other top administration officials, such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, joined the campaign trail in support of Gallrein, who skipped out on debates while pledging to support the president's agenda if elected.A massive amount of money poured into the campaign, mostly from Trump-aligned groups, making it the most expensive House primary in U.S. history with more than $30 million put toward advertising. Chief among them being MAGA KY, which spent nearly $2.3 million on ads ripping Massie, with close to $500,000 more going to pro-Gallrein commercials.Chris LaCivita, a close Trump advisor who ran the group, tagged Massie in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, moments after the race. The message featured a picture of the president using the middle finger."Republicans want a Republican representative - they want lower taxes - they want the border controlled - they want less regulation and they want to know that someone represents their views," LaCivita said in a May 19 post on X. "Massie failed Republicans on all counts and tonight their voice was heard!"Trump celebrated the victory on Truth Social as Gallrein now moves forward in a district where voters have not sent a Democrat to U.S. Congress since 2005.This story will be updated.
