Thomas Massie

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Wednesday he was not surprised that fellow Republican Rep. Thomas Massie lost his GOP primary in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District after repeatedly breaking with President Donald Trump.

"I did see it coming," Comer said on "Finnerty," one day after Massie, seeking an eighth term, was soundly defeated by Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL officer.

Gallrein finished with 54.9% of the vote to Massie's 45.1%, according to DecisionDesk HQ. Massie had won the 2024 Republican primary with 75.9% of the vote.

Comer, who easily won his Republican primary Tuesday night for Kentucky's 1st Congressional District with 88.1% of the vote, said northeastern Kentucky officials had warned him weeks earlier that voters were frustrated with Massie's opposition to Trump's agenda.

"I was up in northeastern Kentucky a few weeks ago and met with local elected officials in three of the counties in Thomas' district, and they expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that Massie seemed like he was objecting to the president on everything," Comer said.

Massie, a libertarian-leaning conservative who often clashed with House Republican leaders, had drawn Trump's ire over several votes and public criticism. Trump endorsed Gallrein in the race, making Massie one of the highest-profile Republican incumbents to lose after criticizing the president.

Comer said disagreements with Trump are acceptable but argued that Kentucky Republicans expect lawmakers to support the president overall.

"I think it's OK to disagree with the president on things," Comer said. "But at the end of the day, I sincerely want the president to be successful, and I'm going to do everything in my ability to see that he's successful."

Comer pointed to Trump's strong showing in Kentucky in the 2024 election as evidence that Republican voters wanted elected officials aligned with the president's priorities.

"The president won Kentucky by over 20 points," Comer said. "They want a president that is tough on the border, that restores our credibility on the international stage, and that's trying to reduce taxes."

Comer added that voters believed Massie was working against Trump rather than with him.

"I think the people in the 4th Congressional District saw that, in their minds, their congressman wasn't working with the president and was trying to do things to undermine him," Comer said. "That was Thomas' brand."

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