Trump Backs Ed Gallrein in Ky 04 Primary Fight
Polls closed in parts of Kentucky on Tuesday as the ky 04 primary put Representative Thomas Massie in his toughest re-election fight yet, against Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein. The race carried a $33 million price tag and turned into the most expensive congressional primary on record.
Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, has been the most outspoken Republican critic of President Trump. Trump actively supported Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, and called Massie “a terrible congressman” during a visit to the White House ballroom construction site.
Trump and Gallrein
The contest centered on Trump’s effort to unseat an incumbent Republican who has repeatedly opposed him. Gallrein entered the race with Trump’s backing, while Massie tried to hold the seat in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District.
Outside groups pushed spending higher as Massie faced criticism over his opposition to foreign aid. That spending helped make the primary the most expensive congressional primary on record, with both sides now locked into a race defined by turnout and money.
Kentucky Fourth District
The district’s voters cast ballots on Tuesday while Trump was also speaking about another race. Around 12:30 p.m., he said he would be endorsing in the Texas Republican Senate primary and declined to say whom he would back between Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Trump said he had made his decision a while ago. That left Kentucky’s race as one of the clearest tests of his direct involvement in a Republican primary, with Massie trying to survive the challenge and Gallrein trying to turn presidential backing into a result at the ballot box.
Massie’s strongest test
The fight now turns on whether Gallrein’s outside support and Trump’s attacks were enough to overcome Massie’s long record in the district. For voters in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District, the practical question is whether the incumbent keeps the seat after the costliest congressional primary on record.
