Six US states hold primaries as Trump urges Kentucky voters to oust Massie

While many primaries will be resolved with little drama, some have shaped up to be among the most contentious elections of the year so far, serving as gauges of Donald Trump’s control of Republicans, and the direction Democratic voters are looking to steer their party as they seek to retake control of Congress. Kentucky The most closely watched race in this deep-red state will be the primary of Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who has broken with Trump on key issues in his second term and led the charge to release investigative files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In the latest instance of the president retaliating against lawmakers who challenge his authority, Trump has backed retired US Navy Seal Ed Gallrein in the contest to unseat Massie from the northern Kentucky seat he has held since 2012, leading to the most expensive House primary in history. Republican voters in Kentucky will also choose their candidate to replace Mitch McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader who is retiring. The frontrunners to succeed McConnell are congressman Andy Barr and former state attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron. Among Democrats, Charles Booker and Amy McGrath, who lost Senate races in the state in 2022 and 2020, respectively, are vying for their party’s nomination once again. …