Trump-Massie feud hits fever pitch: What to watch in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama primaries

Six states are set to conclude primary voting Tuesday, with the spotlight on Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R) ugly primary battle in Kentucky and the highly competitive Senate and gubernatorial contests in Georgia. 

The Kentucky House primary marks the latest front in President Trump’s fight to oust GOP dissenters and another test of his influence among the party’s base ahead of the high-stakes November elections. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) primary loss this weekend served as another warning sign for Republican lawmakers, like Massie, that breaking with Trump can be politically fatal.

In Georgia, Sen. Jon Ossoff is the only Democratic senator running for reelection in a battleground state Trump won in 2024, making him one of the most vulnerable Democratic Senate incumbents as three Republicans vie to take him on.

The race to replace term-limited Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), meanwhile, is an open-seat battle that has drawn crowded primaries on both sides.

Over in Alabama, former Sen. Doug Jones (D) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) are poised for a November rematch, this time for governor, while two Republicans compete to replace former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky. 

Here are the races to watch in Tuesday’s primaries:

Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District

Massie is facing the toughest reelection of his career, squaring off against Trump-endorsed GOP challenger Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer who has the full backing of the president’s political apparatus. 

Trump has set his sights on Massie, calling for him to be “thrown out of office” on Monday — the same day Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth flew down to the state to campaign with Gallrein, which the Pentagon said he did in his personal capacity.

The House primary has become the most expensive on record, according to AdImpact, drawing at least $25.6 million in television, radio and digital advertising, as national organizations have flooded the race with bitter attack ads, including several AI-generated........

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