Voters are heading to the polls Tuesday for high-stakes primary elections, highlighting critical congressional and gubernatorial matchups in the key battleground states of Georgia and Pennsylvania, as well as a historic and costly showdown in Kentucky.
In Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, eight-term incumbent Republican Rep. Thomas Massie faces a fierce challenge from former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Backed by former President Donald Trump, AIPAC, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and major donors like Miriam Adelson, the contest has become the most expensive House primary in history.
Speaking on the eve of the primary in his hometown of Vanceburg, Massie noted that heavy outside spending has tightened the margins. “I think what would have been a 60-40 race is now a 50-50 race,” Massie said, though he predicted, “I’m going to win.”
Addressing his relationship with Trump, Massie added, “He knows I’m tough to beat. He’s literally losing sleep over this race, because he’s in with both feet. I think their polling shows what our polling shows, which is there’s a better than half chance that we’re going to win this race.”
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Trump has heavily targeted Massie over his voting record—including his opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—labeling him “an obstructionist and a fool” and the “worst congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party” in a social media post Monday. Massie defended his record, stating he votes with Trump “90% of the time,” adding, “It’s only the 10% of the time they’re mad about — when I won’t vote for a war, when I won’t vote for warrantless spying and when I won’t vote to bankrupt the country. But in those instances, I’m doing what I told the people in Kentucky I would do.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, campaigning with Gallrein in his personal capacity on Monday, criticized Massie’s “constant obstruction,” stating, “At some point, being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing nothing.”
In response, Massie remarked, “You don’t send the Secretary of War to Kentucky during a war if you think your candidate is up 10 points. That’s what you do when you realize your whole campaign is imploding.” House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to endorse either candidate but noted it would be “helpful to have a more reliable vote” given the narrow Republican majority.
In Georgia, the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp features a crowded field shaped by the fallout of the 2020 election. The Republican ballot includes Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Attorney General Chris Carr, and current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, whom Trump has endorsed. Billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson has also entered the race, spending $56 million of his own money as total television ad spending has surpassed $100 million.
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On the Democratic side, seven candidates are competing, with former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms considered the frontrunner after receiving an endorsement from President Joe Biden. Former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is also running as a Democrat. Runoffs will be triggered for either party if no single candidate achieves 50% of the vote.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s U.S. Senate primary features Republicans Mike Collins, Buddy Carter, and former college football coach Derek Dooley competing for the nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.
In Pennsylvania, House primaries will test the political capital of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro across several key swing districts. In the 7th District, Shapiro-backed firefighter and union leader Bob Brooks is the leading Democratic contender to face freshman Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.
In the 10th District, former local news anchor Janelle Stelson is the leading Democrat running to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Perry. In the 8th District, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti is the primary frontrunner to challenge freshman Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan. In the 1st District, Bucks County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Bob Harvie is the leading Democrat aiming to challenge moderate Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
Beyond these three states, Alabama is holding primary contests for three congressional seats, while delaying elections for its other four districts to an August 11 special election following a Supreme Court decision regarding the state’s 2023 map.
For the Alabama gubernatorial race, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville faces two primary challengers, while the Democratic field features six candidates, including former Sen. Doug Jones. Elsewhere, Idaho is holding primary elections for governor and its two congressional seats, while Oregon is conducting closed primaries for governor and its U.S. Senate seats.
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