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The race pits a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump against a congressman Thomas Massiea rare Republican opponent of Israel, has become the most expensive House of Representatives race in United States history.
The amount of money, totaling $34m as of Monday, according to historical records, shows the importance of the election that could remove one of the few Republican opponents. war with Iran.
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In the final part of the campaign before Tuesday’s vote, Massie sought to highlight the strong role of pro-Israel groups – including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) – in the race.
He said the election would be a “referendum on foreign policy” and whether pro-Israel groups would be able to “harass” members of Congress.
“You can tell I’m ahead in the polls, and they want it,” Massie told ABC News on Sunday.
“That’s why they’re sending the secretary of war to my administration tomorrow. That’s why the president is losing sleep and tweeting about it. That’s why AIPAC lost another $3m in my race this week.”
Trump has been relentlessly taunting Massie on social media, and surprisingly, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth traveled to Kentucky to campaign for Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL who is running for Congress.
Massie has been critical of the US military’s unlimited aid to Israel and the country’s brutality in Gaza and Lebanon. He has also helped lead the push to release government files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Money
Although the competition was very tough, the candidates did not get much money.
Most of the money spent, more than $25.8m, has come from outside groups, known as super political action committees (super PACs).
Super PACs are often used by interest groups to spend large amounts of money opposing or supporting a candidate without legal restrictions on direct campaign contributions.
Pro-Israel groups and donors played a major role in the flood of money and advertising campaigning against Massie, with three groups linked to them spending more than $15.5m on the race, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) shows.
The United Democracy Project (UDP), AIPAC’s campaign arm, has spent more than $4.1m.
The RJC Victory Fund, which is affiliated with the Republican Jewish Coalition, came up with about $3.9m.
MAGA KY has been the biggest spender, at $7.5m.
PAC funding is not fully disclosed. But the available documents show that one of the biggest donors to the group is Paul Singer, a licensed Israeli businessman who also donated the most money to the UDP last year – $2.5m.
MAGA KY also received funding from Preserve America PAC, a group linked to the Israeli-American megadonor Miriam Adelson.
Financial details of the Preserve America PAC are still unknown at the time of this election. But Adelson gave $106m to the PAC in 2024 to help elect Trump to the presidency.
Trump has publicly acknowledged that Adelson is her late husband Sheldon Adelson it has affected his policies in the Middle East.
Before the race in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District, the most expensive House primary was the 2024 election that ousted then-Democratic Congress. Jamal Bowmanwhile pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC, were also big spenders.
The third most expensive primary involved AIPAC and its pro-Israel allies, who succeeded in defeating a progressive Congresswoman. Corey Bush in 2024.
The Trump factor
Beyond billions of dollars in pro-Israel spending, Massie must survive another powerful force in Republican politics — Trump’s wrath.
The US president has only fired lawmakers who disagreed with him on major issues.
Recently, Senator Bill Cassidy – who voted to impeach Trump after January 6, 2021, Riots at the US Capitol – lost the primary to an opponent with the support of the US President.
Trump is campaigning against Massie. In less than 24 hours between Sunday and Monday, the US President deleted three posts on social media criticizing Congress, calling him “weak”, “sad” and “bum”.
“The worst Congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party is Thomas Massie,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday. “He’s a critic and a moron. Vote him out of office tomorrow Tuesday. It’s going to be a great day for America!”
However, Massie seems to have a few advantages that other Republican opponents lacked.
Over the years, the congressman built a reputation as an activist for civil rights and gained popularity among right-wing commentators.
His campaign raised $5.5m directly, more than Gallrein’s $3.1m, while also receiving outside support from gun activists and libertarian PACs.
Massie was also endorsed by some of his Republican colleagues, including the Congresswoman Lauren Boebertan outspoken lawmaker.
And because of the involvement of pro-Israel groups, Massie’s supporters argue that the race is not about Trump, who remains popular among Republican voters.
“Why does Trump hate Massie? Does the congressman have a right to privacy? No,” right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson said in his column on Monday.
“Unlike almost everyone else in the Republican Party, Massie has refused to follow the White House’s abandonment of the America First principles that got the president elected. He is one of the few people with political integrity. Anyone who cares about our country should follow him.”
