Trump's War on Thomas Massie Results in the Most Expensive House Primary Ever
Pro-Israel donors and related organizations have poured millions into ousting Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie ahead of his contentious primary race against his opponent backed by President Donald Trump, helping to turn the race between Massie and Trump-backed Ed Gallrein into the most expensive House primary of all time.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel lobbying groups have spent over $9 million in mostly independent expenditures to oust Massie.
Pro-Israel GOP donors donated millions to a Trump-aligned super PAC that has spent nearly $7 million on the race, according to Politico.
Massie has been staunchly against foreign aid to Israel and other foreign countries. He voted against foreign aid to Israel on several occasions and called for halting all military aid for the nation in May, citing civilian casualties in Gaza and arguing Israel should fund its own defense.
The campaign for Massie’s opponent, Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, raised roughly $3.16 million to challenge Massie, according to Federal Election Commission data. He received over $63,000 in direct PAC donations from groups such as the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) and AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), and over $11.8 million from independent expenditures, according to Track AIPAC.
Massie’s campaign raised over $5.5 million, earning donations from pro-life PACs and the campaigns of Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, according to FEC filings.
UDP and the RJC have both attacked Massie for his criticisms of Israel and pro-Israeli lobbyists.
“He’s the most anti-Israel Republican in the House,” UDP spokesperson Patrick Dorton said of Massie. “This is a competitive, close primary situation. It’s always hard to defeat incumbents. … But we think there’s an opportunity here.”
Overall, anti-Massie groups outspent groups in support of Massie, with those opposing Massie spending over $15 million in independent expenditures, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Kentucky 4th PAC, Make Liberty Win, Defeating Communism PAC, and other groups spent over $10 million in independent expenditures.
MAGA Kentucky, a pro-Trump super PAC, spent over $7 million in independent expenditures in an attempt to oust Massie, according to Decision Desk HQ. The super PAC received $750,000 from the Preserve America PAC, which is tied to billionaire megadonor Miriam Adelson.
Another billionaire donor, Paul Singer, also directly donated $1 million to MAGA Kentucky and donated an additional $2.5 million to AIPAC-affiliated super PACs.
Tomorrow is a BIG primary day. The marquee race: Kentucky’s 4th District, where Thomas Massie could be the latest GOP incumbent to fall to a Trump-endorsed opponent, Ed Gallrein.
Per FEC data, anti-Massie outside spending leads pro-Massie spending $15.5 mil to $10.3 mil. pic.twitter.com/U7BJpHRcJl
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) May 18, 2026
UDP spent $4.15 million in independent expenditures, and the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund spent over $3.87 million, Decision Desk HQ reported.
In addition to criticizing Israel, Massie has opposed Trump’s involvement in the Iran war and argued that Israel “forced our hand and dragged us” into the conflict. Trump called Massie a “complete and total disaster” during a rally in Hebron, Kentucky, in March. He also called Massie a “moron” during the National Prayer Breakfast in February while Massie led the effort to release the files surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.
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