Six states from coast-to-coast hold primary elections on Tuesday in one of the busiest and potentially most consequential days of the 2026 midterm calendar.
Voters in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania will cast ballots in Democratic and Republican primaries for the U.S. House, Senate and governor, as well as in down-ballot races. The nominating showdowns tee up this autumn’s midterms, when Republicans will defend their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities.
Meanwhile, some of Tuesday’s most high-profile primary ballot box faceoffs will serve as the latest tests of President Donald Trump‘s immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races.
Two weeks after purging five state senators in Indiana’s primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, and three days after helping to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — as the senator who, five and a half years ago, voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial lost his bid for renomination — Trump has a new target: Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
Massie, who for 14 years has represented Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, in the northeastern part of the red-leaning state, has long been one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics in Congress. The libertarian-minded lawmaker has repeatedly taken aim at the president over foreign policy, including the Iran war and unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel. And he’s also been a thorn in Trump’s side for successfully pushing for the release of government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump repeatedly targeted Massie in social media posts in the closing days of the primary campaign and praised Kentucky farmer and former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who the president is backing, as “a great guy” and “a great patriot.”
Gallrein grabbed some last-minute support and additional firepower on the eve of the primary, as he teamed up at an event with War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The president said in a video posted to Truth Social on Monday that he hoped Kentucky voters would put Massie “out of business” and that “we’re in a fight against the worst congressman in the history of our country.”
Massie said in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the primary that Trump’s taunts on social media may backfire.
“It shows he’s losing sleep, his reputation is on the line. He really shouldn’t have got involved in this race,” Massie said.
The race has become the most expensive in House history in terms of ad spending, with over $32 million spent, according to the nationally known ad tracking firm AdImpact.
Much of that money has been shelled out by Trump’s allies and pro-Israel groups.
“Here’s the thing, I’ve got nothing against Israel. I just have never voted for foreign aid. When I said America First, I meant it. I don’t vote for foreign aid to Egypt, to Syria, to Ukraine. I’ve got a flawless record on this, and I’m not going to ruin it by sending foreign aid to one country,” Massie said as he defended his stance on Israel.
The race has grabbed outsized attention across the country.
“It’s basically a national race at this point, the most expensive race primary in congressional history, and that’s because, you know, I’m up there, I’m getting things done. I got the Epstein files released, I’m getting legislation in the farm bill, I’m getting legislation passed on the floor, and they want to shut me down,” Massie emphasized.
But Gallrein, speaking with Fox News Digital, charged that Massie’s “running against President Trump, and the agenda that has been put forward by the Republican Party.”
The primary winner will be considered the overwhelming favorite in the general election in a district Trump carried by 36 points in his 2024 White House win.
Trump’s endorsement is also on the line in Kentucky’s Republican Senate primary, in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former longtime GOP leader in the chamber.
Among the 11 Republican candidates are Rep. Andy Barr, who recently landed Trump’s backing, and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a former McConnell aide who was the GOP’s 2023 gubernatorial nominee. As part of his endorsement of Barr, Trump persuaded MAGA-minded business leader Nate Morris to drop out of the race.
Barr, at a campaign event on primary eve, showcased that he’s “the only candidate in this race who has been endorsed fully and completely by this president.”
Seven Democrats, including 2020 Senate nominee Amy McGrath, are running for the Democratic nomination.