Thomas Massie faces the question confronting other Republicans who crossed Trump: What now?
By Jeff Zeleny, CNN
Hebron, Kentucky (CNN) — For the next seven months, Rep. Thomas Massie will hold something that even President Donald Trump can’t take away: His seat in Congress.
The question is what comes next.
As Massie becomes the latest Republican added to Trump’s growing list of revenge and retribution, his concession speech Tuesday night here in Kentucky sounded like anything but. He delivered a forward-looking message to supporters, who seemed more energized than crestfallen.
“What started out as an election turned into a movement,” Massie said. “We stirred up something. There is a yearning in this country for someone who will vote for principles over party.”
The message of optimism – and defiance – sets the stage for the next chapter of Massie’s political life. His congressional term ends in January. His loyal fans made clear they have bigger things in mind.
As someone in the crowd shouted, “Massie for president!” his supporters erupted in booming applause. For his part, Massie smiled and laughed on stage and kept delivering a speech that was interrupted again and again with loud chants of “2028!”
It’s far too early, of course, for Massie to credibly sell the idea of a presidential campaign. Such a notion stirs so many questions, perhaps starting with: In what party would he run after suffering such a convincing defeat Tuesday in his congressional primary against Ed Gallrein?
Trump heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill
Massie’s loss is the latest in a series of setbacks for Republicans who have challenged Trump.
Just this month, five Indiana state senators were unseated in primaries after refusing to redraw their state’s US House map, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy failed to make a GOP runoff five years after voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn lost a Trump endorsement to longtime rival, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a move that all but seals his defeat in next week’s primary runoff.
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee said Tuesday’s results showed Trump is sending a clear message: “He will beat you.”
Another lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Kentucky outcome freely, suggested Massie “found out the hard way” that Trump is still the party’s “kingmaker.”
“You can’t fight the President tooth and nail to try to raise your profile and get TV hits, and then slap on a red hat and cheer him on when it’s convenient for you,” the lawmaker said.
Rep. Mike Lawler just last week was confronted by GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s son at a Capitol Hill bar. According to Lawler, William Paul, who is 33, approached him and said if Massie lost his primary, it would be because “of my people,” later confirming that Paul thought he was Jewish. Lawler is Irish-Italian Catholic.
“My people have spoken,” Lawler posted on X Tuesday night. “Shalom @RepThomasMassie.”
Rand Paul, who endorsed Massie and campaign alongside him, declined to comment when approached by a reporter at the White House’s congressional picnic after the race was called in Kentucky.
‘I don’t know what I will do’
Even in defeat, Massie built a new roster of donors and energized an army of young supporters. As he ticked through a few achievements in Congress, the release of the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files drew resounding applause as he cited name after name who has fallen because of the work his law has done.
Yet a loss is a loss. And Massie returns to Washington as one of the latest political victims of Trump, who has a long practice of returning again and again to his favorite punching bags.
After the Congressional term ends in early January, Massie faces the first moment in 14 years without a certain path. At 55, he is a relatively young figure with a following.
“We have to figure out what was the purpose of having the biggest fight ever – the biggest fight ever!” Massie said of his race that became the most expensive House primary on record, with more than $30 million spent on advertising alone. “Why did it converge on one of 435 congressional seats? What was God’s purpose? What was he showing us tonight?”
One thing Massie won’t do is mount an independent candidacy for his congressional seat as some incumbents do when they lose a primary.
“Kentucky has sore loser laws, so you couldn’t run as an independent here in Kentucky,” Massie told CNN on the eve of the election. “I think that’s probably a good thing. If you fight the fight and you win the primary, then you shouldn’t have to fight the same person again.”
Looking to the future, he added: “I don’t know what I will do.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Annie Grayer and Kit Maher contributed to this report.
