On Tuesday night, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his reelection bid in a GOP primary to Ed Gallrein, a political newcomer whose entire campaign strategy was to emphasize that he was endorsed by Trump. Massie had become one of the president’s least favorite House Republicans by voting against Trump’s economic policy bill, joining Democrats in pushing for the release of Department of Justice files related to Jeffrey Epstein, and supporting a resolution to stop the war in Iran. He is also the rare Republican who was critical of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and the United States’ support of them, thereby drawing strong opposition from pro-Israel groups. By the end of the race, more than $33 million had been spent, largely against Massie, making this one of the most expensive House primaries in recent history.
An eighth Republican, longtime Senator John Cornyn of Texas, also likely had his career ended by the president this week. Trump announced on Tuesday that he is endorsing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the May 26 runoff there. Cornyn hasn’t crossed Trump on any key votes. But Paxton is Trump’s kind of Republican, with numerous ethical scandals, while Cornyn is close to the former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has long feuded with the president.
These election results are terrible for the country. Trump is an authoritarian using the presidency to enrich himself and punish his political enemies. The odds of Republican politicians taking any steps to rein him in were already close to zero, and these primary results will make GOP officials even more wary of crossing the president. Any Republican on the ballot in the next three years (and perhaps even after Trump leaves office) knows that he can end their careers. And think about the anti-democratic precedent set here. Trump led an insurrection; Cassidy voted to sanction it. Louisiana Republican voters chose loyalty to their leader over a senator who stood up for democracy.
And the fealty to Trump from the Republican base is not at all shared by average voters. Polls show that around 60 percent of Americans disapprove of the president, compared to fewer than 40 percent who approve. Even 47 percent of moderate Republicans disapprove of Trump, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll. So do 60 percent of men, 74 percent of Hispanics, and 75 percent of Americans 18-29, three groups who were more pro-Trump than expected during the 2024 election.
Donald Trump is creating a Republican Party that even arch-conservatives like Thomas Massie, Bill Cassidy, and John Cornyn are too normal for. But no one outside of Trump’s base likes that kind of party, so the GOP is poised to be resoundingly rejected this November.
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