The president expelled the Kentucky congressman as voters headed to the polls in six states, including Georgia and Pennsylvania.
President Trump calls Massie ‘terrible’ as Kentucky primary continues
Congressman Thomas Massie is running for re-election in Kentucky’s Republican primary against former Navy SEAL Ed Gullane, who is backed by President Trump.
President Donald Trump has successfully ousted his least favorite House Republican, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, ahead of the 2026 midterm elections in a further purge of “Make America Great Again.”
Political newcomer Ed Garline, a farmer and former Navy SEAL, is expected to be the Republican candidate for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, according to NBC News and Reuters.
The must-see battle in the Bluegrass State garnered a lot of attention across the country. A key reason for that is how much energy Trump and his allies have poured into ousting Massey, who has criticized Trump for increasing the budget deficit, starting a war in Iran, and not releasing Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein.
Voters across the country were also casting their ballots in key races that will further shape the fall, including battleground races in Pennsylvania and gubernatorial races in the battleground state of Georgia.
President Trump also made headlines for disrupting the Republican Texas Senate nomination runoff by endorsing Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, over incumbent John Cornyn. The decision will sharply divide Republicans in the Lone Star State and Washington state.
The key points are:
Another dissident bites the dust
President Trump has argued in primary after primary this year that there is no place for dissidents in the Republican Party, a point he emphasized in the lead-up to the May 19 campaign.
On May 16, Trump supporter Rep. Julia Letlow defeated Sen. Bill Cassidy in the Louisiana Republican primary. Cassidy angered Trump by voting to convict him in the president’s second impeachment trial over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
But the race has become a bitterly personal primary, pitting loyalty to Mr. Trump against Mr. Massey’s famous independent line. Massey is
The president spent months verbally bashing the libertarian-leaning incumbent, calling Massey “the worst Republican in the history of the country” during a May 18 conference call.
Other senior government officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, also campaigned in support of Garrein, vowing to support the president’s policies if elected, but absenting himself from the debate.
Huge sums of money poured into the campaign, much of it from pro-Trump groups, with more than $30 million spent on advertising, making it the most expensive House primary in U.S. history. Leading the pack was MAGA KY, which spent nearly $2.3 million on ads ripping off Massey, and nearly $500,000 on pro-Garline commercials.
Chris Lacivita, a close adviser to President Trump who ran the group, tagged Massey in a post on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the race. The message included a photo of the president giving the middle finger.
“Republicans want Republican representation – they want lower taxes – they want border control – they want less regulation and they want to know that someone will represent them,” Lacivita said in a May 19 post on X.
“Massie betrayed the Republican Party on every count, but tonight their voices were heard!”
Trump celebrated his victory on Truth Social as Galane advances in a district where voters have not sent a Democrat to Congress since 2005.
President Trump’s opponent also loses Georgia gubernatorial primary
Another Trump opponent, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, fell short in his challenge to the Republican gubernatorial candidate. Raffensperger received about 14% of the vote.
During Trump’s failed attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss, he famously pressured Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to include the Peach State in his column. Raffensperger refused.
Preliminary results show a majority of Georgia Republicans supported Lt. Gov. Bert Jones, who received President Trump’s support. Jones’ approval rating was about 37%, compared to billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson’s approval rating of about 34%.
Since neither player reached the required 51% threshold, a runoff election will be held.
Democrats overwhelmingly selected former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms from a wide range of candidates. He won with about 60% of the primary vote, supported by former President Joe Biden, and the gubernatorial race could turn into a kind of presidential proxy battle.
Trump’s support for Texas causes election night chaos, Senate Republicans
With millions of voters making their choices, Trump decided to use the election to stir up an upcoming race in Texas that could further divide the Republican Party.
The president ended months of speculation by endorsing Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, calling Paxton a “true MAGA warrior” who has served the state well.
“John Cornyn is a good man and I worked well with him, but he didn’t support me when times were tough,” Trump said in the post, accusing Cornyn of being “very slow to support me” in the 2024 Republican primary.
It’s a choice many Trump supporters are happy about, but there are concerns among Senate Republicans that it could give Democratic candidate James Talarico a path to victory. Paxton was impeached by the Republican-led state Legislature in 2023 for allegedly using his office to benefit a real estate developer who allegedly hired a woman with whom Paxton had an affair. he was acquitted.
“Senator Cornyn is a principled conservative. He’s a very capable senator,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota). “None of us can control the president’s actions. He made the decision about that. That doesn’t change my mind.”
MAGA purge raises questions about Capitol Hill tactics
There is no question that the Trump administration has succeeded in driving dissidents out of the Republican Party, but it could have some negative consequences that could quickly backfire in Washington.
This is because many incumbent members who retire or lose will remain in Congress and become free agents, disrupting the government.
Take Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, for example. He won reelection in the May 16 primary after months of attacks by Trump. He remained in the Senate and cast the deciding vote to advance the War Powers Resolution, which aims to end the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Previously, Cassidy had opposed earlier versions of the measure. In a May 19 post on X, he said the White House was leaving lawmakers “in the dark” about Operation Epic Fury.
“I’ve heard from people in Louisiana, including supporters of President Trump, that they’re concerned about this war,” Cassidy said. “Until the administration provides clarity, Congressional approval or extension cannot be justified.”
