Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) conceded the GOP primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to Trump-endorsed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, stating, “I would have come out sooner but I had to call my opponent and concede.” Massie added, “It took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv.”

The race, one of the most expensive in American history, saw candidates and outside groups spend roughly $35 million combined, according to Federal Election Commission data. Massie’s campaign outspent Gallrein’s by $5.8 million to $2.6 million, though super PACs heavily favored the GOP challenger, spending over $16.4 million to boost Gallrein versus approximately $10.1 million supporting Massie.

Massie accused his opposition of using “dirty tricks” but insisted his campaign remained clean. “We weren’t really running against Ed Gallrein, we weren’t running against Donald Trump. We were running for what we believe in,” he said. The contentious race featured vicious and personal television ads, including AI-generated “deepfakes” undermining candidates’ conservative credentials or loyalty to Trump. One pro-Gallrein super PAC falsely accused Massie of being “in a throuple” with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), while a pro-Massie group aired an AI-generated ad depicting Gallrein abandoning Trump on a battlefield.

Massie, a libertarian Republican who has long maintained an independent streak, pressed for the release of Jeffrey Epstein files, voted against the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” and opposed the Iran war effort. He described the race’s high cost as a consequence of Washington officials attempting to buy his vote with deceit: “For 14 years those SOB’s in Washington tried to buy my vote. They couldn’t buy it. Why did the race get so expensive? Because they decided to buy deceit.”

Massie told supporters, “What happened tonight was God’s will… and we have to figure out what was the purpose of having the biggest fight ever.” His congressional term ends in January 2027, and he has not confirmed plans for future office.