{"id":2605033,"date":"2026-05-20T12:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-celebrates-thomas-massies-primary-loss\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T12:23:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:23:44","slug":"mike-johnson-celebrates-thomas-massies-primary-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-celebrates-thomas-massies-primary-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Johnson celebrates Thomas Massie&#8217;s primary loss"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmike-johnson-celebrates-thomas-massies-primary-loss%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2605033&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Following Kentucky\u2019s 4th Congressional District primary results, House Speaker Mike Johnson praised Rep. Thomas Massie\u2019s defeat by Ed gallrein, the former Navy SEAL endorsed by President Donald Trump. Johnson said Massie frequently enough aligns with Democrats and has been a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-killing-u-s-energy-production-the-biden-administration-is-negotiating-with-venezuelan-terrorists-for-oil\/\" title=\"After Killing U.S. Energy Production, The Biden Administration Is Negotiating With Venezuelan Terrorists For Oil\">political obstacle<\/a>, arguing that Republicans need \u201cteam players\u201d who support constitutional conservatism and the \u201cAmerica first\u201d agenda.<\/p>\n<p>Gallrein won the GOP primary with nearly 55% of the vote to Massie\u2019s 45%, which Johnson presented as evidence of a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >broader nationwide shift<\/a> toward Trump-backed candidates. He also claimed he spoke with Trump Tuesday night right after the results came in, calling Trump\u2019s endorsement exceptionally influential.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>In the wake of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kentucky\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"30\">Kentucky<\/a> primary results, House Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7043\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) celebrated Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thomas-massie\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17668\">Thomas Massie<\/a>\u2018s (R-KY) loss against Ed Gallrein, the former Navy SEAL whom President Donald Trump endorsed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, I have nothing personal against Thomas Massie, but he votes with the Democrats most of the time, and he\u2019s been a thorn in my side for a long time, so you know, politics isn\u2019t personal up here. We need team players,\u201d Johnson told <em>Salem News Channel<\/em> radio host Larry O\u2019Connor on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4575969\/massie-ousted-georgia-democrats-big-turnout-what-you-missed-primaries\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Massie ousted, Georgia Democrats big turnout, and runoffs set. What you missed from last night\u2019s primaries<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4575306\/trump-burt-jones-rick-jackson-runoff-georgia-gop-governor-race\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump-backed Burt Jones and Rick Jackson head to Georgia GOP governor runoff<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/sports\/4575304\/naacp-call-black-student-boycott-southern-college-sport\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>NAACP calls for Black students to boycott Southern college sports<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>\u201cWe need people who are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-shreds-biden-over-bidens-border-crisis-this-is-an-intentional-policy-rooted-in-an-open-borders-ideology\/\" title=\"DeSantis Shreds Biden Over Biden\u2019s Border Crisis: \u2018This Is An Intentional Policy Rooted In An Open Borders Ideology\u2019\">constitutional conservatives<\/a> who understand the \u2018America First\u2019 agenda and want to help us deliver it,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>With Gallrein winning the Republican primary for Kentucky\u2019s 4th Congressional District with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/vrsws.sos.ky.gov\/liveresults\/Statewide\">nearly 55<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/vrsws.sos.ky.gov\/liveresults\/Statewide\">%<\/a> of the vote against Massie\u2019s 45%,<\/a> Johnson framed the result as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lgbtq-diversity-officials-heads-roll-at-elon-musks-tesla\/\" title=\"LGBTQ, Diversity Officials\u2019 Heads Roll At Elon Musk\u2019s Tesla\">broader wave<\/a> of victories for Trump-backed conservatives across the country.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to Republican primary results nationwide as evidence that the GOP base continues to rally behind candidates aligned with the president.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW \u2014 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SpeakerJohnson<\/a> celebrates the downfall of Thomas Massie:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He votes with the Democrats\u2026and has been a thorn in my side for a LONG TIME.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need team players\u2026who understand the America First agenda!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is a great trend.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I talked to the President\u2026He\u2026has\u2026 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j9PAkEfCQt\">pic.twitter.com\/j9PAkEfCQt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/townhallcom\/status\/2057074885810171934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe had a great night across the board,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cSeveral states had their primaries last night. We had conservatives, constitutional conservatives, win across the board. I mean, from Georgia, all the way across to Oregon. So, this is a great trend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4575268\/kentucky-4th-congressional-district-primary-thomas-massie-ed-gallrein\/\"><strong>TRUMP-BACKED ED GALLREIN DEFEATS THOMAS MASSIE IN KENTUCKY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Highlighting Trump\u2019s political influence, Johnson revealed that he spoke with the president Tuesday night after the election results were in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said, \u2018Mr. President, you have the most powerful endorsement in the history of politics,\u2019\u201d Johnson said. \u201c\u2018It\u2019s not even close. It\u2019s really something to behold.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Kentucky results, Johnson praised Massie\u2019s loss to Trump-endorsed Gallrein<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4275,"featured_media":2605036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26135583059211-e1779288924458.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32321,34218,33184,32085,33196],"class_list":["post-2605033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-election-results","tag-mike-johnson","tag-primary-election","tag-republican-party","tag-thomas-massie"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26135583059211-e1779288924458.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4275"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605033"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605038,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605033\/revisions\/2605038"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2605036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}