Donald Trump scored one of his most significant political victories within the Republican Party after front-runner Republican Congressman Thomas Massie was defeated in Kentucky's 4th District primary by Ed Gallrein, Trump's personally endorsed candidate.

According to Decision Desk HQ projections, Gallrein managed to win with around 54% of the votes compared to the 46% obtained by Massie, with more than half of the votes counted. The race ended Massie's 14 years in Congress and was considered one of the most expensive congressional primaries in recent U.S. history.

The election was watched nationally as a test of Trump's control over the Republican base and his party's lawmakers. Media such as the Reuters agency pointed out that the president actively promoted the campaign to expel one of his most persistent internal critics, within the framework of a broader strategy to marginalize Republicans who publicly challenge his leadership.

Massie, identified for years with the liberal current of the Republican Party, had broken with Trump on high-profile issues, including public spending, foreign policy towards Iran and the demand to publish documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump went so far as to publicly call him “an obstructionist” and “a fool,” intensifying his attacks on social media during the final weeks of the campaign.

The now winner, Ed Gallrein, is a former member of the Navy SEALs and Kentucky farmer who was politically recruited after receiving direct support from the president. During the campaign he promised to unreservedly support Trump's agenda in Washington.

The electoral battle attracted millions of dollars in foreign political spending. The Washington Post and Reuters reported that the race surpassed $32 million in advertising and funding from Trump-allied groups and pro-Israel organizations critical of Massie, making it the most expensive House primary on record in the United States so far.

In the final stretch of the campaign, national Republican figures traveled to Kentucky to support Gallrein. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth participated in public events where he assured that Trump needed “reinforcement” in Congress and described Gallrein as “the obvious choice” to represent the district.