An article summarized by Politico:
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed paperwork Monday to run for his Kentucky House seat in 2028, just days after losing a costly GOP primary to Trump-backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Massie’s defeat marked another victory in President Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign against Republicans who have broken with him on key issues. Massie had recently clashed with Trump over topics including the U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran and efforts to release government files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Kentucky primary became the most expensive congressional primary in history, with more than $32 million spent on the race. Pro-Israel groups invested heavily to defeat Massie, who has long been a vocal critic of Israel in Congress. In announcing his filing, Massie said he had not yet decided which office he would seek but wanted the ability to continue raising funds to support his political operations and possible future federal campaigns.
Massie’s loss was part of a broader trend of Trump-backed victories over Republicans who challenged his leadership. Trump-aligned candidates also defeated figures such as Bill Cassidy and Brad Raffensperger, while some Indiana lawmakers opposing his redistricting agenda were pushed out. Still, some Republicans worry Trump’s focus on political revenge could hurt the GOP’s legislative priorities and weaken the party ahead of the midterms, including in the high-stakes Texas Senate race involving John Cornyn and Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton.
