On May 19th, seven-term Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky’s 4th District lost his Republican primary to Trump-endorsed challenger Ed Gallrein in what became the most expensive House primary race in American history. According to FEC data, more than $35 million was spent on the race, with super PACs heavily supporting Massie’s challenger spending more than $16.4 million to aid Gallrein’s campaign efforts. Enormous amounts of outside money poured into this Kentucky primary from Trump-aligned groups and a powerful Israel lobby determined to defeat Massie after his repeated breaks with the Republican establishment and AIPAC.

One of the final breaking points that brought about this moment was Massie’s opposition to Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” in the summer of 2025, warning that it would add trillions to the national debt. According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, the bill is projected to add $3.4 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade. Shortly after Massie’s dissent, Trump publicly called for a primary challenger against the Kentucky Congressman.

Massie was never the liberal that President Trump and outside groups tried to portray him as. In reality, he has long been one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Massie received a 96% Liberty Score by the Conservative Review based on his voting record in Congress, contrasting that with a 74% for Speaker Mike Johnson or a 51% for Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Massie is well to the right of Republican leadership by any conservative measure.

Massie built his reputation by voting against reckless spending and federal overreach. He was the lone voice demanding a recorded vote on the 2020 CARES Act, refusing to let a $2.2 trillion bill pass by voice vote in an empty chamber. Trump called him a “third-rate grandstander” for it. But Massie was right to voice his opposition. The CARES Act and the COVID stimulus bills that followed pumped trillions of borrowed money into the economy in a matter of months, leading to the worst period of inflation in forty years that crushed American families in 2021 and 2022. Massie further voted against all foreign aid and against reauthorization of the Patriot Act and FISA 702, both of which permit warrantless government surveillance of Americans. He also voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill and led the fight to release the Epstein files.

None of that is progressivism. It’s a true type of conservatism that is constitutionalist, anti-interventionist, and fiscally disciplined, the type of conservatism that is rare in Congress among Republicans. He consistently pushed for transparency and accountability in government and called out both sides when they failed to follow these principles, even if it meant standing alone. That’s exactly why Trump and leadership wanted him gone; he refused to get in line, and in Washington, that is an unforgivable sin.

Massie refused to take a penny from the Israel lobby in an era when almost no Republican would. He was one of the very few Republicans willing to stand up to the most powerful lobbying forces in Washington. Whether people agreed with him or not, Massie was never afraid of the political consequences of his actions and always voted based on his conscience.

What makes this primary loss especially sad is that it feels like independent conservatives are becoming increasingly rare in Washington. Massie was not ousted because he suddenly became moderate or liberal. He was voted out because he was viciously targeted by Trump, the Republican leadership, and powerful outside groups, including AIPAC and their corrupt spending networks, backed in part by Israeli-American billionaire Miriam Adelson. Trump himself, when addressing the Israeli Knesset in 2025, said of Adelson: “She loves Israel. I asked her what do you love more, the U.S. or Israel? She refused to answer. That might mean Israel.” That is the donor network that wanted Massie gone because he attempted to drain the swamp and refused to comply with all of their demands.

For many young conservatives and libertarian-leaning Republicans, Massie represented something different. He could not be bought out. He refused to become part of the establishment, the swamp, the smoke-filled back rooms, and the lobbyist-driven culture that dominates Washington and buys the votes of our Senators and Representatives. He kept his promises to his district even when it cost him everything. Massie showed that someone could get elected to Congress, do exactly what they say and believe, and vote accordingly, even when it came with the price of losing re-election. Even people who disagreed with him knew he was principled.

Thank you, Congressman Massie, for all you’ve done to advance liberty.

Author’s Note: I got the chance to meet Congressman Massie while I was interning on the Hill last summer. Politics aside, he is genuinely one of the nicest and most down-to-earth people in Congress, and he’ll be missed. I got to have a real conversation with him. It wasn’t the typical politician handshake and a generic “nice to meet you, have a good day,” but a genuine conversation that reminded me that there are still a few people in Washington who actually mean what they say and follow through on it.