Kentucky Republicans pledge loyalty to Trump, oust Massie from Congress

(CN) — A full court press against incumbent U.S. Representative Thomas Massie by President Donald Trump that included a visit from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and millions in spending from political action committees was enough to see Ed Gallrein win the most expensive primary in U.S. political history.

A shoe-in to win the general election in November, Gallrein will face Melissa Strange, who won the Democratic primary in the overwhelmingly red 4th District.

The former Navy SEAL referenced himself in the third person and heaped praise on Trump during his victory speech.

“The winner of the race tonight is not so much Ed Gallrein, but it’s the Republicans of Kentucky Congressional District 4 and their families, who I will be a champion for in Washington,” he said. “I want to thank President Trump for his support, his endorsement and his counsel as I navigated this campaign. And for his courageous leadership of our nation at this critical time and juncture in history.”

Called “an obstructionist and a fool” by Trump, Massie told supporters in his concession speech that Gallrein and those who backed him “used a lot of dirty tricks” during the campaign.

“What started out as an election turned into a movement,” he said. “We stirred up something. There is a yearning in this country for someone who will vote for principles over party.”

But Steve Voss, associate professor and publicity director of the political science department at the University of Kentucky, gave Trump the credit for Massie’s demise.

“Trump swept the board, and showed the country yet again that the Republican Party belongs to him,” Voss said. “It’s a deteriorating castle that he holds as warlord, in that we have fewer people who identify as Republicans — either psychologically or in terms of the growth of registered Democrats or independents — but when you have a small turnout election, like a primary, the people who turn out are still overwhelmingly loyal to Trump.”

Massie was noncommittal about his political future in the immediate aftermath of the primary, but Voss sees his newfound popularity as a possible springboard back into the political arena.

“Massie has managed to collect around him a widespread media following, and it could take him in a number of directions,” Voss said. “If he chooses to run for office again, he has the sort of donor network and national cache to fund a serious campaign. But he also could turn it into more of a public role, given that he’s become a sort of minor celebrity in the political world.”

While the Massie-Trump feud dominated headlines, the race to succeed U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell — set to retire at the age of 84 after a lengthy political career — was also on the ballot in the Bluegrass State.

Andy Barr, who received Trump’s endorsement at the start of the month, cruised to victory on the Republican side and defeated former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, among others.

Barr, the current congressman from Kentucky’s 6th District, surged to an early lead immediately after polls closed and never looked back.

He ended up with 60% of the vote, or 283,703 votes, comfortably ahead of Cameron, who finished a distant second with 144,548 votes, or 31% of the total.

In his victory speech, Barr thanked Trump and spoke about what the win meant for Kentucky.

“This victory is about the future, and whether that future will be shaped by Kentucky common sense or the craziness of the extreme far left,” he told his supporters.

The Democratic race was hotly contested between the two favorites — former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath and state Representative Charles Booker.

Polling in the leadup to the primary showed Booker with a sizeable lead, but the race was undecided for most of the night after polls closed.

Booker eventually pulled away, however, and won by over 35,000 votes, with his total of 155,487 votes or 47%.

McGrath ended up with 119,234 votes, 36%, while Pamela Stevenson finished third.

Booker, a Louisville native, emphasized the importance of faith when he spoke to supporters at his election watch party.

“We are not using religion to manipulate and hurt people, we are leaning into faith as a power of love to bring people together,” he said. “I am proud to be your Democratic nominee for United States Senate to finally replace Mitch McConnell.”

Elsewhere, in the 6th District, soon to be vacated by Barr, Democrats opted for youth over experience as they selected 39-year-old former Navy JAG officer Zach Dembo over former state representative Cherlynn Stevenson.

Dembo received 26,858 votes, while Stevenson garnered 21,312 votes.

Republicans overwhelmingly backed Ralph Alvarado, former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, over state representative Ryan Dotson, with Alvarado receiving 36,217 votes, or 57% of the total. Dotson finished with 16,897 votes, good for 26% of the total.

“The choice for central Kentucky is clear,” Dembo told his supporters in a victory speech. “Because everything I’m hearing out of his side is about how much he is going to be a rubber stamp for this out of control administration. I believe Dr. Alvarado doesn’t think about the economic realities of everyday Americans. We do, and that’s why we’re going to prevail in November.”

As the focus shifts to the midterm elections in November, Democrats must find a way to translate the at-large malaise with Trump into votes for their newly minted candidates, according to Voss.

“The mass of voters are quite unhappy with Trump, and Trump’s ability to sway Republican primary voters, the tiny sliver of the populace they represent, doesn’t mean he has anything like that sort of a hold over the swing voter that decides general elections,” he said.

A barrage of anti-Trump messages alone won’t get the job done, however, Voss said.

“Hammering Trump isn’t the sort of appeal to which voters respond, even if they dislike Trump. The work of getting voters to prefer the opposition because they’re angry at Trump already functions in terms of voting behavior. But hammering Trump doesn’t give voters a reason to prefer the Democrats, it doesn’t link the positive appeal with the negativity voters feel toward the Trump administration,” he said.

According to the Kentucky secretary of state’s website, 863,950 ballots were cast in Tuesday’s primary election across the commonwealth’s 120 counties, good for a turnout rate of 25.67%.

Voss said interest in the primary “was relatively healthy,” but the turnout reflects “the sentiment of the narrow sliver of the population that is politically engaged.”

“Politics has become a war between the fans of two teams playing a sport that most people don’t like,” he said.

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