Massie calls primary a test of outside money, Israel influence in Congress

Massive outside spending has turned Thomas Massie’s Republican primary into a test case for how much money, presidential backing and a long local record can matter when a sitting member crosses national power brokers. By March 11, outside groups had spent more than $5 million against Massie, and later estimates put the fight at roughly $25 million, making the race the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.

Massie said three billionaires from outside Kentucky had funneled money into the contest to try to buy his seat. On This Week, he framed the fight even more sharply, saying it was a referendum on whether “Israel gets to buy seats in Congress.” He named Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer and pointed to the Republican Jewish Coalition and AIPAC as part of what he called the “Israeli lobby.” He also said he was ahead in the polls and that Donald Trump was “losing sleep” over the race. No response was received from the groups and individuals Massie singled out.

The challenger, Ed Gallrein, is a former Navy SEAL and farmer who has Trump’s endorsement. Gallrein has described Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District as “Trump Country,” a sign that his campaign is trying to turn the primary into a loyalty test as much as a local contest. Trump has continued attacking Massie publicly, even after helping drive former Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy out of his primary, and the president’s pressure has given Gallrein’s challenge the full weight of the national party’s most visible faction.

Massie, who has served in the U.S. House since Nov. 13, 2012, is seeking reelection to an eighth term in a reliably Republican district. He has also become one of the GOP’s most frequent breakaways, opposing spending tied to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, voting against Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act and helping push an Epstein transparency measure that forced the Justice Department to release records from the Jeffrey Epstein case. That record has made him a target for conservatives who see him as insufficiently loyal, even as he insists his support remains broad enough to withstand the attacks.

Kentucky’s primary is Tuesday, May 19, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. prevailing time. In-person no-excuse early voting ran May 14 through May 16, after earlier excused absentee voting periods, setting up a final verdict on whether outside money and Trump’s endorsement can outweigh a member’s own brand.