Trump tightens grip on GOP after Massie’s defeat in Kentucky primary – US politics live | US midterm elections 2026
Opening summary: Trump tightens his grip on the GOP after Thomas Massie’s defeat in Kentucky primaries
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of American politics. Donald Trump tightened his grip on the Republican Party after independent Rep. Thomas Massie’s defeat in Kentucky’s Republican House primary. by the challenger handpicked by the president.
Massie lost by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent, in what became the most expensive primary in U.S. history, reportedly requiring more than $32 million in expenses.
Trump repeatedly called on voters to support Ed Gallrein, a former Marine and farmer, against outgoing President Massie, who had drawn the president’s ire after breaking with him on several high-profile issues, including the war with Iran, the release of the Epstein files and his tax bill.
“There is a longing in this country for someone who will vote for principle rather than party,” Massie said in his concession speech.
“If the legislature always votes which way the wind blows, then we have mob rule,” he added.
Massie’s defeat is the latest in a series of successful proxy battles waged by Trump that ousted dissident Republican incumbents — in states like Indiana and Louisiana — by backing a more loyal challenger.
The election came as voters in five other states — Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Idaho — went to the polls Tuesday to decide their candidates for the November election, in what was the biggest primary night of the year so far. We will soon present a summary of these results to you.
The next major test of Trump’s influence will come in Texas, where the state’s controversial attorney general, Ken Paxton, just won the president’s endorsement in his bid to unseat four-term incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in next week’s Republican primary runoff.
Key events
This morning, Trump continued to post on Truth Social which congressmen, governor, lieutenant governor and senator he supported won their primaries on Tuesday.
In his 13 posts, he named the Republican winners in Idaho, Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky, and at the end he posted a summary citing that 100 percent of the candidates he supported, 37 by his count, won their races.
Trump will deliver the commencement address at 11 a.m. today at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., where he will likely talk more about those victories.
Georgia Republican gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections heading to June runoffs
George Chidi
The Republican primary campaign for Georgia governor will take place in June, with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones facing healthcare billionaire and political newcomer Rick Jackson — and excluding Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state and longtime political foe of Donald Trump, who was on track to finish a distant third.
Jackson, a relatively unknown political newcomer to the state, shook up the competition by investing nearly $50 million of his own money in campaign advertising. Republican candidates have spent more than $100 million in total, according to AdImpact tracking figures.
Jones, who received support from Trump, and Jackson will continue their showdown on June 16, which has consumed almost all of the ad inventory available on Georgia television.
The Democratic primary was relatively distinguished compared to the attack ad duels among Republicans.
Despite predictions of a runoff, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic primary for governor by a decisive margin, with the support of former President Joe Biden. You can read the full story here:
The EU finally agreed to implement a trade deal with the United States after hours of negotiations between members of the European Parliament and member states, avoiding Donald Trump’s threat to sanction any new blockages with high customs duties, particularly on cars and trucks imported from the bloc. You can read more in this story from my colleague Lisa O’Carroll:
Trump says ‘100%’ of his support came from Republican primaries
Donald Trump posted on Truth Social claiming that “100 percent” of his supporters in the May 19 Republican primaries won their races, citing clear victories in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Idaho, Oregon and Kentucky.
Trump-backed Republicans won or were in first place in primaries in Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky on Tuesday. Idaho’s three longtime incumbents, all Trump-backed Republicans, easily won their party’s nominations in yesterday’s primary election. A small number of races, however, remain unresolved and are heading towards playoffs.
Cecilia Nowell
More election results came in as polls closed in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Idaho and Oregon.
Among the most notable: U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville won the Republican nomination for governor of Alabama, former mayor of Atlanta Stockings Keisha Lance won the Democratic nomination for Georgia governor and state representative Chris Rabb won the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District.
In Georgia, lieutenant governor Burt Jones and health manager Rick Jackson will advance to the runoff in the Republican primary for governor, while members of Congress Mike Collins And Derek Dooley will run in the runoff for the Republican nomination to compete with the Democrats Jon Ossoff for his seat in the Senate next November.
Opening summary: Trump tightens his grip on the GOP after Thomas Massie’s defeat in Kentucky primaries
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of American politics. Donald Trump tightened his grip on the Republican Party after independent Rep. Thomas Massie’s defeat in Kentucky’s Republican House primary. by the challenger handpicked by the president.
Massie lost by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent, in what became the most expensive primary in U.S. history, reportedly requiring more than $32 million in expenses.
Trump repeatedly called on voters to support Ed Gallrein, a former Marine and farmer, against outgoing President Massie, who had drawn the president’s ire after breaking with him on several high-profile issues, including the war with Iran, the release of the Epstein files and his tax bill.
“There is a longing in this country for someone who will vote for principle rather than party,” Massie said in his concession speech.
“If the legislature always votes which way the wind blows, then we have mob rule,” he added.
Massie’s defeat is the latest in a series of successful proxy battles waged by Trump that ousted dissident Republican incumbents — in states like Indiana and Louisiana — by backing a more loyal challenger.
The election came as voters in five other states — Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Idaho — went to the polls Tuesday to decide their candidates for the November election, in what was the biggest primary night of the year so far. We will soon present a summary of these results to you.
The next major test of Trump’s influence will come in Texas, where the state’s controversial attorney general, Ken Paxton, just won the president’s endorsement in his bid to unseat four-term incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in next week’s Republican primary runoff.
