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Frankfort, Kentucky — Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has lost his re-election bid to Trump-endorsed challenger Chris Gallrein in Tuesday’s primary, with results confirmed early Wednesday. Massie, who has represented Kentucky in Congress since 2012, built a reputation as a "quirky" conservative willing to defy GOP leaders, frequently voting against party priorities and challenging the direction of the Republican agenda. He drew national attention for repeatedly pressing for the release of classified government documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and for pushing transparency on sensitive intelligence matters that many in his party preferred to keep out of the spotlight. Frankfort, Kentucky — In the closing weeks of the campaign, Massie also emerged as a prominent critic of the administration’s war with Iran, publicly denouncing the military engagement as unconstitutional and accusing the White House of overreach. President Donald Trump responded by personally targeting Massie, endorsing Gallrein, and actively campaigning to unseat the incumbent, turning the contest into an explicit test of loyalty to his administration and its policy goals. The result strengthens Trump’s grip on the Republican Party, sends a warning to other potential internal critics, and removes one of the last major legislative obstacles to the administration’s agenda in the House of Representatives.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.