Another one bites the dust.
The past few weeks had been billed as a retribution tour for Donald Trump, as he settles old scores with his critics within the Republican party. Call it what you will, but the evidence is now overwhelming that the Republican party is Trump's party and nothing - not an unpopular war in Iran, not sagging poll numbers among the general public, not rising consumer prices, not concerns about billion-dollar White House ballrooms - has changed that.
Thomas Massie, the independent-minded congressman from Kentucky, was comfortably defeated on Tuesday in the Republican primary race to decide who goes forward to take on the Democrats in November's midterms. The Trump-backed candidate Ed Gallrein is heading towards a 55% share of the vote.
Republican rebel Massie, a constant thorn in Trump's side, is just the latest in a political casualty count that is now stretching into double figures. His transgressions were multitude. He opposed Trump's tax-and-spending budget package last year because he said it drove up the federal deficit. He voted to curtail the president's military operations in Venezuela and Iran. And, perhaps most notably, he was the driving force behind efforts in the House of Representatives to force the release of Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender with ties to the rich and powerful.
All this put Massie front and centre on Trump's enemies list – and led to a $20m effort to oust him from the congressional perch he had occupied for more than a decade. Trump once again proved his power in the Republican party, said Trey Grayson, a two-time Republican secretary of state in Kentucky.
He added that Massie had his enemies in the state politics – acquired by not playing nice with local business leaders and disregarding the everyday work of legislating in favour of high-publicity efforts. But in the end, he said, it came down to yet another simple display of Trump's iron grip on the Republican party.
Gallrien, Massie's handpicked Trump opponent, barely campaigned. He declined most debate and public forum invitations. He instead relied on the president's endorsement and millions of dollars of support it generated.
That proved to be enough – and it wasn't all that close, as the challenger coasted to what appears to be a double-digit victory. This election result joins a string of defeats for anti-Trump Republicans, including Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and several Indiana state legislators who faced Trump-backed challengers.
On the horizon, another Republican incumbent, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, could face trouble as Trump endorses his opponent in an upcoming runoff election. Trump's intention to target party members reflects a strategy that, while consolidating influence, may raise concerns regarding the party's viability in the general elections amid discontent over economic issues and unharnessed presidential power.
The past few weeks had been billed as a retribution tour for Donald Trump, as he settles old scores with his critics within the Republican party. Call it what you will, but the evidence is now overwhelming that the Republican party is Trump's party and nothing - not an unpopular war in Iran, not sagging poll numbers among the general public, not rising consumer prices, not concerns about billion-dollar White House ballrooms - has changed that.
Thomas Massie, the independent-minded congressman from Kentucky, was comfortably defeated on Tuesday in the Republican primary race to decide who goes forward to take on the Democrats in November's midterms. The Trump-backed candidate Ed Gallrein is heading towards a 55% share of the vote.
Republican rebel Massie, a constant thorn in Trump's side, is just the latest in a political casualty count that is now stretching into double figures. His transgressions were multitude. He opposed Trump's tax-and-spending budget package last year because he said it drove up the federal deficit. He voted to curtail the president's military operations in Venezuela and Iran. And, perhaps most notably, he was the driving force behind efforts in the House of Representatives to force the release of Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender with ties to the rich and powerful.
All this put Massie front and centre on Trump's enemies list – and led to a $20m effort to oust him from the congressional perch he had occupied for more than a decade. Trump once again proved his power in the Republican party, said Trey Grayson, a two-time Republican secretary of state in Kentucky.
He added that Massie had his enemies in the state politics – acquired by not playing nice with local business leaders and disregarding the everyday work of legislating in favour of high-publicity efforts. But in the end, he said, it came down to yet another simple display of Trump's iron grip on the Republican party.
Gallrien, Massie's handpicked Trump opponent, barely campaigned. He declined most debate and public forum invitations. He instead relied on the president's endorsement and millions of dollars of support it generated.
That proved to be enough – and it wasn't all that close, as the challenger coasted to what appears to be a double-digit victory. This election result joins a string of defeats for anti-Trump Republicans, including Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and several Indiana state legislators who faced Trump-backed challengers.
On the horizon, another Republican incumbent, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, could face trouble as Trump endorses his opponent in an upcoming runoff election. Trump's intention to target party members reflects a strategy that, while consolidating influence, may raise concerns regarding the party's viability in the general elections amid discontent over economic issues and unharnessed presidential power.
