Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) struck a defiant tone on Tuesday after being ousted by a primary challenger backed by President Donald Trump, but hinted that his political career might not be over just yet.
During his concession speech, Massie framed his loss as retribution for not towing the party line in Washington, saying that “for 14 years, those SOBs in Washington tried to buy my vote; they couldn’t buy it.”
“Why did the race get so expensive?” Massie asked the crowd. “Because they decided to buy the seat.”
Despite the defeat, the crowd at Massie’s concession party erupted into chants of “28,” referring to 2028, when the next congressional and presidential contests will be held.
“What happens in 2028?” Massie asked the crowd. “Oh, you want me to run for Congress again?”
The crowd then erupted into a second round of chants, urging Massie to run for president in the 2028 race.
“You made a compelling argument; you spoke your piece,” Massie said, not closing the door on a 2028 comeback bid. “We’ll talk about it later.”
Massie lost the Republican nomination for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to Ed Gallrein on Tuesday. The race broke records as the most expensive House primary race in history. At least $32 million was spent on ads throughout the overall race.
Trump-aligned groups poured more than $7 million into the race, while pro-Israel organizations spent another $9 million to unseat Massie.
“He was a bad guy,” Trump told reporters when asked about Massie’s primary loss. “He deserves to lose.”
Massie’s loss is the latest in Trump’s efforts to oust members of the party who stymie his agenda. The Kentucky Republican earned the president’s ire over his efforts to force the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files and his vote against Trump’s signature tax cut law last year.
TRUMP-BACKED ED GALLREIN DEFEATS THOMAS MASSIE IN KENTUCKY
Massie spoke about his effort with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to force the release of the Epstein files during his speech, noting Tuesday marked the six-month anniversary of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“We’ve taken out two dozen CEOs, an ambassador, a prince, a prime minister, a minister of culture, and that was just six months,” Massie said. “I got seven months left in Congress.”