Ahead of Tuesday’s closely watched Kentucky GOP primary, Rep. Thomas Massie says President Donald Trump’s "reputation is on the line" as Trump allies and outside groups flood the race with attacks and millions in spending.
HEBRON, KY - Six states from coast-to-coast hold primary elections on Tuesday in one of the busiest and potentially most consequential days of the 2026 midterm calendar.
Voters in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania will cast ballots in Democratic and Republican primaries for the U.S. House, Senate and governor, as well as in down-ballot races. The nominating showdowns tee up this autumn's midterms, when Republicans will defend their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities.
Meanwhile, some of Tuesday's most high-profile primary ballot box face-offs will serve as the latest tests of President Donald Trump's immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races.
Two weeks after purging five state senators in Indiana's primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, and three days after helping to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana - as the senator who, five and a half years ago, voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial lost his bid for renomination - Trump has a new target: Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
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Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky campaigns on the eve of his state's primary, in Mason County, Kentucky on May 18, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Massie, who for 14 years has represented Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, in the northeastern part of the red-leaning state, has long been one of Trump's most vocal GOP critics in Congress. The libertarian-minded lawmaker has repeatedly taken aim at the president over foreign policy, including the Iran war and unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel. And he's also been a thorn in Trump's side for successfully pushing for the release of government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump repeatedly targeted Massie in social media posts in the closing days of the primary campaign and praised Kentucky farmer and former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who the president is backing, as "a great guy" and "a great patriot."
Gallrein grabbed some last-minute support and additional firepower on the eve of the primary, as he teamed up at an event with War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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War Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, joins former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, at an event on the eve of Kentucky's primary, in Hebron, Kentucky on May 18, 2026. Gallrein is backed by President Donald Trump as he primary challenges Rep. Thomas Massie for the GOP nomination in the state's fourth congressional district. (Jessica Sonkin/Fox News)
The president said in a video posted to Truth Social on Monday that he hoped Kentucky voters would put Massie "out of business" and that "we’re in a fight against the worst congressman in the history of our country."
Massie said in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the primary that Trump's taunts on social media may backfire.
"It shows he's losing sleep, his reputation is on the line. He really shouldn't have got involved in this race," Massie said.
The race has become the most expensive in House history in terms of ad spending, with over $32 million spent, according to the nationally known ad tracking firm AdImpact.
Much of that money has been shelled out by Trump's allies and pro-Israel groups.
"Here's the thing, I've got nothing against Israel. I just have never voted for foreign aid. When I said America First, I meant it. I don't vote for foreign aid to Egypt, to Syria, to Ukraine. I've got a flawless record on this, and I'm not going to ruin it by sending foreign aid to one country," Massie said as he defended his stance on Israel.
The race has grabbed outsized attention across the country.
"It's basically a national race at this point, the most expensive race primary in congressional history, and that's because, you know, I'm up there, I'm getting things done. I got the Epstein files released, I'm getting legislation in the farm bill, I'm getting legislation passed on the floor, and they want to shut me down," Massie emphasized.
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But Gallrein, speaking with Fox News Digital, charged that Massie's "running against President Trump, and the agenda that has been put forward by the Republican Party."
The primary winner will be considered the overwhelming favorite in the general election in a district Trump carried by 36 points in his 2024 White House win.
Trump's endorsement is also on the line in Kentucky's Republican Senate primary, in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former longtime GOP leader in the chamber.
Among the 11 Republican candidates are Rep. Andy Barr, who recently landed Trump's backing, and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a former McConnell aide who was the GOP's 2023 gubernatorial nominee. Seven Democrats, including 2020 Senate nominee Amy McGrath, are running for the Democratic nomination.
Here's a look at other key races to watch on Tuesday.
Trump's endorsement powers will also be tested in the GOP gubernatorial primary in the southeastern battleground of Georgia.
The president is supporting Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the race to succeed popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term-limited.
Jones is considered one of the two front-runners in the race, along with health care executive and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who launched his campaign in February and has spent more than $80 million of his own money on behalf of his bid.
State Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are also running.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, state Rep. Derrick Jackson, and former state labor commissioner and former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond, are among the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.
Trump remains neutral in competitive and combustible Republican Senate primary.
Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, the son of University of Georgia head football coach legend Vince Dooley, who is strongly backed by Kemp, are considered the frontrunners in a crowded field of candidates.
University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., are aiming to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in November's midterm elections. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP Photo)
The winner of the GOP nomination will challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. The first-term senator is being heavily targeted by Republicans, who view him as the most vulnerable Democrat in the chamber seeking re-election this year. But Ossoff has built an extremely formidable war chest.
The president is backing Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama as a Trump ally and two other Republicans seek their party's gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey. Among the candidates for the Democratic nomination is former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones.
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Meanwhile, only three of Alabama's seven congressional districts will hold primaries on Tuesday. Elections in the other four districts are being postponed until this summer, in the wake of a key Supreme Court ruling that sparked Republicans in a handful of southern states to redraw their congressional district lines.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
Source: Fox News - Politics
