In the wake of the Kentucky primary results, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) celebrated Rep. Thomas Massie‘s (R-KY) loss against Ed Gallrein, the former Navy SEAL whom President Donald Trump endorsed.
“Look, I have nothing personal against Thomas Massie, but he votes with the Democrats most of the time, and he’s been a thorn in my side for a long time, so you know, politics isn’t personal up here. We need team players,” Johnson told Salem News Channel radio host Larry O’Connor on Wednesday.
“We need people who are constitutional conservatives who understand the ‘America First’ agenda and want to help us deliver it,” Johnson said.
With Gallrein winning the Republican primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District with nearly 55% of the vote against Massie’s 45%, Johnson framed the result as part of a broader wave of victories for Trump-backed conservatives across the country.
He pointed to Republican primary results nationwide as evidence that the GOP base continues to rally behind candidates aligned with the president.
“We had a great night across the board,” Johnson said. “Several states had their primaries last night. We had conservatives, constitutional conservatives, win across the board. I mean, from Georgia, all the way across to Oregon. So, this is a great trend.”
TRUMP-BACKED ED GALLREIN DEFEATS THOMAS MASSIE IN KENTUCKY
Highlighting Trump’s political influence, Johnson revealed that he spoke with the president Tuesday night after the election results were in.
“I said, ‘Mr. President, you have the most powerful endorsement in the history of politics,’” Johnson said. “‘It’s not even close. It’s really something to behold.’”