Massie took to the podium, wasting no time taking jabs at Gallrein, the billionaires and big money groups who he believes influenced the primary.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rep. Thomas Massie has conceded in the Republican primary race against Ed Gallrein, President Donald Trump’s handpicked challenger in the U.S. House 4th Congressional District race.
Massie took to the podium, wasting no time taking jabs at Gallrein, the billionaires and big money groups who he believes influenced the primary.
“I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede, but it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” Massie said. “I have called and conceded the race.”
The primary was one of the most expensive in American history and was a test of Trump’s influence not only in Kentucky, but for the Republican Party.
“For 14 years, those SOB’s in Washington tried to buy my vote. They couldn’t buy it. Why did the race get so expensive? Because they decided to buy deceit. And it got real expensive for them,” Massie explained.
He accused his opposition of using “dirty tricks” but said his campaign stayed the course, running a clean campaign.
“We weren’t really running against Ed Gallrein, we weren’t running against Donald Trump. We were running for what we believe in,” Massie said.
Massie has been at odds with Trump over his outspoken criticism of the administration’s key policies. He voted against the “Big, Beautiful Bill” and voted against the war in Iran. Massie has also pressed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files while criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of the documents.
Gallrein delivered a shorter, more muted speech at his victory party in Covington, where he first thanked Trump, who visited Kentucky in March to give Gallrein a boost.
Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, ran on his military service and loyalty to the president and accused Massie of forsaking Trump and the party. He is favored to win the general election against Democrat Melissa Strange in the deeply red district.
President Trump reacted to Massie’s defeat, saying, “He was a bad guy. He deserves to lose.”
In the end, Massie told his supporters the country needs to come together and have a unified party.
Massie’s congressional term ends in January, and he did not speak about his plans.
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