Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZthXjqGK5T8
Sources:
Thomas Massie just lost his Kentucky primary to Trump-endorsed Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, 54 to 46. Gallrein won the primary by a 9-point margin, 54.4% to 45.6%, per the Associated Press — Daily Caller
Ed Gallrein is a former Navy SEAL endorsed by Donald Trump. Gallrein is a retired Navy SEAL and farmer recruited by Trump for the race — NBC News
Over 32 million dollars in ad spending — the most expensive House primary in American history. Gallrein beat Massie in the most expensive U.S. House primary on record; the race drew more than $32 million in ad spending, per the Associated Press — Washington Post
A pro-Trump super PAC run by Trump’s own campaign manager dropped over 7 million. MAGA KY, directed by former Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita, was the largest spender in the race at $7.5 million — Al Jazeera
AIPAC-aligned groups and the Republican Jewish Coalition spent more than 15 million combined. AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobbying groups spent over $9 million; anti-Massie groups spent over $15 million in independent expenditures — Daily Caller
The top three named donors — Paul Singer, Miriam Adelson, John Paulson — are billionaires from outside Kentucky. MAGA KY PAC’s three largest disclosed donors are hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer ($1 million), casino mogul widow Miriam Adelson ($750,000), and hedge fund founder John Paulson ($250,000) — Legis1
The trigger for all of it: Massie’s June 2025 vote to invoke the War Powers Act against Trump’s strikes on Iran. The feud escalated sharply in June 2025 when Massie worked with Democrats to invoke congressional war powers as Trump was weighing strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities; the day after the strikes, Trump posted he would campaign “really hard” to ensure Massie loses — Legis1
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally traveled to Kentucky the day before the election to campaign against him. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Kentucky on Monday for a last-minute appearance with Gallrein — an unusual and overtly political move for a defense secretary — NBC News