Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost the Republican House primary by nearly 10 percentage points Tuesday to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, according to NPR. The race became the most expensive House primary in history, with $33 million spent on TV ads, much of it directed at Massie, according to NPR's ad-tracking partner AdImpact.
Gallrein was heavily backed by Trump supporters and pro-Israel lobby groups including AIPAC. Massie, one of the most outspoken Republican critics of President Trump, is the latest Republican lawmaker to lose his seat after clashing with the president.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, Democrats showed strong turnout in Tuesday's primaries. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic primary for governor and will face the Republican runoff winner. In the GOP primary, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones will compete against healthcare executive Rick Jackson in a runoff next month.
In Alabama, several U.S. House primaries will not be counted and will require special elections in the coming months due to redistricting. The state is reverting some districts to older lines that are more favorable to Republicans. In many other races across the country, general elections were essentially decided Tuesday because so many contests were uncontested.
Democrats' larger voter turnout in states like Georgia could be a sign of strength for the party ahead of the November midterm elections.
