'Every vote counts': Ed Gallrein recounts Trump message after defeating Thomas Massie

FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY: Retired Navy SEAL captain and Kentucky farmer Ed Gallrein says President Donald Trump personally urged him to jump into the race that ultimately knocked off Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s Republican primary for the 4th Congressional District.

Appearing on Hannity, Gallrein recounted a conversation he said changed the course of his campaign.

“I met with the president on October 17, Sean, and here’s what he said," Gallrein recalled.

"When I brought up President Reagan and what a fan we were of him, President Trump said, ‘Ed, I don’t have two consecutive terms like President Reagan. I’ve only got one term to enact the agenda the American people overwhelmingly asked me to carry out. Every week counts, every day counts, every hour counts, and every vote in the Senate and House counts. Ed, you need to serve again. You need to serve your district, your nation, and your party.'"

Gallrein said the President's words sealed the deal.

"And that’s when I decided to run. I want to thank the president, the conservative Republicans in this district, and my supporters and team, because this sends a message that we, the people, are going to stand up," he said.

Throughout the campaign, Gallrein positioned himself as a strong ally of Trump and repeatedly accused Massie of siding with the “radical left” instead of backing his own party.

"Now my focus is on advancing the president's and the party's agenda to put America first and Kentucky always," Gallrein said during his victory speech.

Thomas Massie’s independent streak finally catches up with him

Massie had long argued he was no anti-Trump Republican, insisting he agreed with the President far more often than he disagreed. Still, the Kentucky congressman regularly emerged as one of the GOP’s most visible roadblocks to parts of Trump’s agenda.

The libertarian-minded lawmaker grabbed national attention by teaming up with California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to push for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. He also consistently opposed deeper U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts and introduced war powers resolutions to block further hostilities overseas.

Massie was also one of just two House Republicans to vote against Trump’s signature tax-and-spending package, the “One Big Beautiful Bill." 

The congressman framed the race as a test of whether Republican voters still wanted lawmakers willing to challenge Trump when necessary.

Massie had called the contest a “referendum” on whether constituents preferred a representative who would “stand up to the president when they disagree and vote principles over party.”

But speaking on Tuesday night after the loss, Massie appeared defiant.

"Today is the six-month anniversary of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. We've taken out two dozen CEOs, an ambassador, a prince, a prime minister, a minister of culture — and that was just six months. I got seven months left in Congress," he noted.

Trump tightens grip on GOP primaries

During Trump’s second term, the President has repeatedly unloaded on Massie despite the pair endorsing each other during the 2024 cycle. By March, Trump had traveled to northern Kentucky to campaign directly for Gallrein after personally encouraging him to run.

Just days before the primary, Trump posted a video message on social media blasting Massie and urging Republicans to rally behind Gallrein.

"The guy's a total disaster, and you know who it is, Thomas Massie; he's the worst. So, we have to get out and vote. We have to make sure that Ed gets there," Trump said.

The Kentucky showdown is the latest example of Trump flexing his influence over Republican primaries and punishing incumbents he views as disloyal.

In Louisiana, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy (who voted to convict Trump during his 2021 impeachment trial) finished third in his primary. In Indiana, nearly every Republican senator who opposed Trump’s midterm redistricting effort was defeated by Trump-backed challengers.

Kentucky Republicans delivered another win for Trump-backed candidates Tuesday night when Rep. Andy Barr cruised to victory in the GOP primary for the open Senate seat being vacated by Mitch McConnell after securing the President’s endorsement earlier this month.