Trump-backed Gallrein leads early in Kentucky's 4th District; no House race called

Republican Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by President Trump, led Democrat Melissa Strange in early returns from Kentucky's 4th Congressional District on Tuesday night. NBC News showed Gallrein at 55.7%, Strange at 41.6% and independent Jeremy Todd at 2.7% ¹.

Those numbers are very early. Only 1,918 votes had been counted, about 0.6% of the expected total, and roughly 303,000 votes remained ¹. NBC said Strange would need to win 48.7% of the remaining vote to catch Gallrein ¹.

At NBC's latest update, at 6:43 p.m. Eastern, no Kentucky House race had been called. The network listed six seats as uncalled ². One outlet reported that a Trump-backed Republican had won a Kentucky seat, but we could not confirm a call from the sources we could read.

Other Kentucky races

In the 1st District, Republican Rep. James Comer led Democrat John Williams 64.0% to 36.0%, with 3.8% of the expected vote counted ². In the 2nd District, Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie led Democrat Megan Wingfield 52.3% to 46.0%, with just 0.3% counted ².

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In the 3rd District, no votes had been reported yet ². NBC's candidate listings on that page looked inconsistent in places, so readers should treat the early tables with caution ².

How Gallrein got here

Gallrein reached the general election by defeating Rep. Thomas Massie in the Republican primary on May 19, 2026 ³. The AP called that race after Gallrein led in Boone, Kenton, Campbell and Oldham counties. Massie led in his home base of Lewis County ³.

After the primary, Trump posted a photo of himself with Gallrein and the words "Ed Gallrein Wins! Endorsed by President Trump!" ³ Trump had also waged his own social media campaign against Massie ³.

What happens next

Kentucky counties are still reporting, and the early percentages can shift a lot as larger counties come in ¹². A formal call from NBC, the AP or another news organization will settle the 4th District.

That matters because Democrats are trying to win control of the House, and every call is watched for signs of the national mood. An early lead in one Kentucky district, though, says little about the fight for Congress. We will update this brief when a call is confirmed.

The Record

1. May 19, 2026Ed Gallrein defeats Rep. Thomas Massie in the Republican primary for Kentucky's 4th District, as called by the AP ³.
2. Nov 3, 2026Early returns show Gallrein ahead of Democrat Melissa Strange, 55.7% to 41.6%, with 0.6% of the expected vote counted ¹.

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<h2>Trump-backed Gallrein leads early in Kentucky&#39;s 4th District; no House race called</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-backed-gallrein-leads-early-in-kentucky-s-4th-district-no-house-race-called">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.</em></p> <p>Republican Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by President Trump, led Democrat Melissa Strange in early returns from Kentucky&#39;s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday night. NBC News showed Gallrein at 55.7%, Strange at 41.6% and independent Jeremy Todd at 2.7% .</p> <p>Those numbers are very early. Only 1,918 votes had been counted, about 0.6% of the expected total, and roughly 303,000 votes remained . NBC said Strange would need to win 48.7% of the remaining vote to catch Gallrein .</p> <p>At NBC&#39;s latest update, at 6:43 p.m. Eastern, no Kentucky House race had been called. The network listed six seats as uncalled . One outlet reported that a Trump-backed Republican had won a Kentucky seat, but we could not confirm a call from the sources we could read.</p> <h2>Other Kentucky races</h2> <p>In the 1st District, Republican Rep. James Comer led Democrat John Williams 64.0% to 36.0%, with 3.8% of the expected vote counted . In the 2nd District, Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie led Democrat Megan Wingfield 52.3% to 46.0%, with just 0.3% counted .</p> <p>In the 3rd District, no votes had been reported yet . NBC&#39;s candidate listings on that page looked inconsistent in places, so readers should treat the early tables with caution .</p> <h2>How Gallrein got here</h2> <p>Gallrein reached the general election by defeating Rep. Thomas Massie in the Republican primary on May 19, 2026 . The AP called that race after Gallrein led in Boone, Kenton, Campbell and Oldham counties. Massie led in his home base of Lewis County .</p> <p>After the primary, Trump posted a photo of himself with Gallrein and the words &quot;Ed Gallrein Wins! Endorsed by President Trump!&quot; Trump had also waged his own social media campaign against Massie .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Kentucky counties are still reporting, and the early percentages can shift a lot as larger counties come in . A formal call from NBC, the AP or another news organization will settle the 4th District.</p> <p>That matters because Democrats are trying to win control of the House, and every call is watched for signs of the national mood. An early lead in one Kentucky district, though, says little about the fight for Congress. We will update this brief when a call is confirmed.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-backed-gallrein-leads-early-in-kentucky-s-4th-district-no-house-race-called">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-backed-gallrein-leads-early-in-kentucky-s-4th-district-no-house-race-called.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. NBC News, “Kentucky House District 4 Midterm Election 2026: Live Results” (2026-11-03). nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/kentucky-us-house-distri
2. NBC News, “Kentucky U.S. House Midterm Election 2026: Live Results” (2026-11-03). nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/kentucky-house-results
3. PBS NewsHour, “Trump-backed Gallrein defeats Rep. Thomas Massie in GOP primary” (2026-05-20). pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-backed-gallrein-defeats-rep-

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