Thomas Massie Loses Kentucky Primary, Mocks Opponent With 'Tel Aviv' Jab
Defeated by Trump and AIPAC, Rep. Thomas Massie ended his 14-year Congressional career with a bitter concession speech, mocking his opponent with a "Tel Aviv" jab that drew immediate backlash as antisemitic rhetoric.
Outgoing Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie ended his 14-year Congressional career Tuesday night with a swipe at his Trump-backed opponent, suggesting Ed Gallrein was more loyal to Israel than to Kentucky voters, a remark that drew immediate condemnation as coded antisemitism.
"I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede, and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv," Massie told supporters gathered for his concession speech, drawing laughs from the crowd.
At points during the speech, chants of "No more wars" and "End the Fed" broke out and at one point, shouts of "F*** Israel!" could be heard from attendees.
The remark came hours after Massie was decisively beaten by Gallrein, a farmer and former Navy SEAL recruited by Trump, in what became the most expensive U.S. House primary on record, with more than $32 million in ad spending.
Gallrein beat Massie in what NBC News described as the most explosive fight of Trump's political pressure campaign this primary season, aided by an extraordinary advertising blitz fueled largely by pro-Trump and pro-Israel groups.
AIPAC's Role
AIPAC's super PAC and two other groups backed by pro-Israel donors poured more than $15.8 million into the race, either opposing Massie or backing Gallrein, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
In a statement congratulating Gallrein, AIPAC said voters "support Democratic and Republican candidates who view a strong U.S.-Israel relationship as an American interest and reject those who focus on attacking that alliance and pro-Israel Americans." The organization called Massie "one of the most consistently hostile voices in Congress toward the U.S.-Israel relationship."
The Backstory
Massie was the only Republican to refrain from supporting Israel in the immediate aftermath of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, and has represented Kentucky's 4th Congressional District since 2013.
Massie drew Trump's ire for opposing the Iran war, voting against Trump's "big, beautiful bill" spending package, and being one of the chief proponents of releasing the Justice Department's files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump told reporters at the White House Congressional Picnic Tuesday evening: "He was a bad guy. He deserves to lose."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took the unusual step of traveling to the district Monday to campaign against Massie, despite a federal law prohibiting sitting cabinet officials from engaging in politics in their official capacity.
Gallrein's Victory
Gallrein made clear throughout his campaign that he would support the president's agenda unequivocally, accusing Massie of siding with the "radical left" over his own party. "Now my focus is on advancing the president's and the party's agenda to put America first and Kentucky always," he said in his victory speech.
Gallrein's defeat of Massie is the latest example of Trump's firm hold on the Republican Party, following his successful ouster of Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana in that state's Senate primary on Saturday.
During Massie's concession, supporters in the crowd chanted "2028! 2028!" -calling on Massie to run for president. Massie responded: "We'll talk about it later."