Rep. Massie is latest GOP incumbent to lose primary after Trump backs challenger

Politics Rep. Thomas Massie becomes latest GOP incumbent to fall in primary after Trump backs challenger By Caitlin Yilek Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation. Read Full Bio Caitlin Yilek Updated on: May 19, 2026 / 7:58 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Trump-backed Ed Gallrein defeated Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District Republican primary on Tuesday, CBS News has projected. Massie is the latest incumbent Republican to fall in a primary to a challenger endorsed by President Trump, who has successfully targeted a number of Republicans he has deemed his adversaries in recent primaries. Last week, Massie referred to himself as the "main event" on Mr. Trump's revenge tour.  The race in northern Kentucky was the most expensive House primary in history, with pro-Israel interest groups pumping millions in the contest in a bid to unseat Massie, who has been a thorn in Mr. Trump's side. In an interview with CBS News on Monday, Massie said spending by pro-Israel interest groups caused more disruption in the race than the president. In a typical year, Massie said he would have won the primary with 80% of the vote. He estimated Mr. Trump's endorsement of Gallrein lowered his support to 60%, and spending from the pro-Israel lobby further eroded it. "I think what would have been a 60-40 race is now a 50-50 race," Massie said, citing Gallrein's support from AIPAC, the Republican Jewish Coalition and GOP megadonors such as Miriam Adelson. Massie voted against Mr. Trump's signature tax-cutting legislation, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, last year and spearheaded the effort to force the Justice Department to release materials related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epst...