Kentucky is home to the most expensive House primary race in U.S. history amid President Donald Trump\u2019s push to oust incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie as the two remain locked in a bitter feud.<\/p>\n
In one of the few MAGA proxy battles of the 2026 midterm cycle, Massie is defending his seat against his Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, a Navy SEAL and fifth generation farmer.<\/p>\n
![\"America\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/d67d3b2f-6f1d-4152-ab70-55e800566ca1\/massie-Gallrein-ap-gmh-260513_1778679101777_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"America\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>Rep. Thomas Massie in Washington Sept. 17, 2025 and Republican congressional candidate for Kentucky, Ed Gallrein in Covington, Ky., April 30, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Massie has represented Kentucky\u2019s 4th Congressional District since 2012, though his path to a seventh term has been an uphill battle.<\/p>\n The exorbitant cost of this race has already broken the record to become the most expensive House primary in history. According to AdImpact, the race has seen more than $32.6 million in ad spending and reservations.<\/p>\n A conservative libertarian, Massie has most recently been the subject of Trump\u2019s ire given his push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files<\/a>, his vote against<\/a> the president\u2019s sweeping domestic tax policy legislation and his vocal opposition to the Iran war<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition to calling Massie a “moron” during the National Prayer Breakfast in February, Trump has taken swipes at Massie’s wife and accused the congressman of being “disloyal to the United States of America” during a March event in Kentucky.<\/p>\n Massie and Trump have supported each other in the past, and the congressman has been quick to point out the many times he does vote in lockstep with the rest of the Republican Party in support of the president. However, Massie also embraces his willingness to stand up to Trump.<\/p>\n “I like to say that I vote 91% of the time with Republicans, but when they’re covering up for pedophiles or bankrupting the country or starting another war, you can count me out,” Massie said during a March campaign fundraiser.<\/p>\n Rep. Thomas Massie speaks during the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Second Amendment hearing, April 15, 2026 in Washington.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Luke Johnson\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Appearing on “The Tucker Carlson Show” earlier this month, Massie said he recognized the very real possibility of losing the primary, saying the “one whistleblower, if you will, in Congress will be gone.”<\/p>\n On the other hand, Gallrein has pledged loyalty to the president and emphasized his commitment to the “America First” agenda under Trump.<\/p>\n “You deserve an authentic, true Republican conservative that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our president and the Republican Party and against the Democrats who are trying to destroy our nation,” Gallrein said earlier this year when Trump visited the district.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump shakes hands with Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein at Verst Logistics, March 11, 2026, in Hebron, Ky.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Trump endorsed Gallrein before he even launched his bid for Congress, and the president admitted that he was willing to support just about anyone in order to oust Massie.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted just — give me somebody with a warm body to beat Massie, and I got somebody with a warm body, but a big, beautiful brain and a great patriot,\u201d Trump said alongside Gallrein earlier this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Congress\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/4d88a995-88f6-4c95-938e-5fd8e67e5e72\/thomas-massie-gty-gmh-260514_1778862695069_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375 "\\"Congress\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>![\"Covington\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/6732491f-aad5-4367-b0ea-d2a215e325a7\/ed-gallrein-1-ap-gmh-260515_1778863068155_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375 "\\"Covington\\"")
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