Massie says he won’t ask for a recount in Kentucky primary

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a seven-term incumbent, said on Friday that he will not ask for a recount of the primary vote in the Fourth District

by Summer Lane | May 22, 2026

Following his defeat this week in the Kentucky Fourth District Congressional Republican primary race, Rep. Thomas Massie has said he will not seek a recount of the vote.

“There’s a quiet all out war for the future of our country,” he wrote on X on Friday. “Let us not misdirect our precious resources. I do not believe I lost due to fraudulent votes, mail-in ballots, hacking, or mistabulated results. I respect those who want to make sure, but I won’t be requesting a recount.”

Massie’s primary race has turned out to be the single most expensive congressional primary in years, amounting to around $33 million in money spent, according to most estimations.

The massive financial infusion came largely from outside Kentucky, as Trump-aligned super PACs and megadonors like Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer stepped in to help squash Massie and push their favored and unknown Republican candidate, Ed Gallrein.

Massie, who has won his elections in the past with ease, was essentially defeated by millions of dollars in donations and the full wrath of the Republican machine, led by President Donald Trump.

Interestingly, Massie held the majority of support among most demographics in the Fourth District, except for those 55 and older, according to recent data from NBC. This suggests that the election was simply about turnout.

However, Massie’s declaration to decline a recount request comes on the heels of social media sleuths’ observations about the breakdown of the race. For example, film producer and writer Lauren Witzke alleged on X this week, “Ed Gallrein received 10,854 ‘mail in’ ballots votes tonight. Thomas Massie lost by 10,280 votes. That’s not a coincidence.”

Journalist Tucker Carlson also noted the presence of mail-in ballots in the Kentucky primary race – a component of elections in America that has become an object of extreme suspicion, following years of fraught and chaotic election-counting processes.

“How’d this guy win? Well, he won on mail-in ballots,” Carlson said in an episode of his popular podcast show this week, discussing Gallrein’s victory. “We’ll sort of leave it to online sleuths to determine whether that’s legitimate or not. Who knows? Because if you’re willing to pour tens of millions of dollars into a Republican primary in the Fourth District of Kentucky, you’re probably willing to do whatever it takes, and maybe they did – we don’t know that.”

LindellTV’s Emerald Robinson additionally speculated online, “Something stinks in Kentucky. Gallrein refused to do any debates. Gallrein had very few supporters at his campaign events. Gallrein had very few supporters at his victory party. Kentucky uses rigged voting machines too.”

However, former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime friend of Massie, noted on X of Massie’s decision to ask for a recount, “Everyone should respect this decision by Thomas Massie. He has given enough. His family has given enough. We both have. It’s up to the American people, it’s your country, and you can’t expect only a few of us to sacrifice ourselves. Step up.”