Massie faces a key question in Kentucky’s GOP primary: loyalty to Trump or loyalty to him
Rep. Thomas Massie is betting that Kentucky Republicans will separate their support for President Donald Trump from their support for the congressman, even as Trump’s allies push a primary challenge built around attacking Massie as a persistent party dissenter. The Kentucky race in the 4th Congressional District pits Massie against Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL whom Trump drafted to run against him, with Tuesday’s primary outcome expected to show whether Massie’s career can survive Trump’s effort to purge dissenters from the Republican Party.
The fight is being played out across Massie’s long-held political turf, a district that sweeps from the outskirts of Louisville northeast along the Ohio River, through suburbs south of Cincinnati, and into Appalachian foothills and old coal towns. For years, voters there have returned Massie to Congress, embracing what supporters describe as his independence and political personality, including when they rejected Trump’s earlier demand that Kentucky Republicans “throw Massie out of Republican Party.”
At a Lincoln Day Dinner in Covington, Massie’s absence underscored the imbalance in attention between the incumbent and the challenger. Rep. Massie was stuck in Washington for a vote on Capitol Hill, so one of his supporters made the pitch in a banquet hall packed with Republicans in northern Kentucky. Attendees heard Ed Gallrein, who Trump drafted to challenge Massie next Tuesday, described by one speaker as having a “severe case of Trump derangement syndrome.”
But another speaker, Gex Williams, a state senator backing Massie, told the audience not to worry about whether support for Trump has to come at the expense of backing Massie. Williams said, “If you are thinking that you can’t be for President Trump and for Thomas Massie, you certainly can be,” setting the tone for a dinner where some Republicans acknowledged Trump’s power while still treating Massie as a known quantity.
The dinner reflected the central tension facing Republican voters: whether they will tolerate Massie’s record of voting against Trump priorities in exchange for what supporters see as America-first consistency. The AP reported that Massie has angered Trump by voting against the president’s signature tax legislation over concerns about adding to the national debt, pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and opposing Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran. Massie’s supporters say those positions align with the America First promises Trump initially made, while Trump’s campaign effort frames Massie as a problem for the party’s agenda.
Some voters said they plan to make the decision on policy records rather than endorsements. Tonya Young, an attendee at the Lincoln Day Dinner who said she is leaning toward Massie but still undecided, argued that voters do not need to choose between backing Trump and backing Massie. Young said she is also wrestling with the idea of “pulling in yes men,” adding, “If all we’re doing is pulling in yes men, then how do you grow from that? How do you have the best end product if everyone just says, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a great idea,’” while also describing herself as “a hot mess” about compromise and loyalty. Young said she will “plumb through the Republican-backed bills that Massie voted against before she makes up her mind,” and said Trump’s endorsement of Gallrein and Trump’s personal attacks on Massie are not a major part of her calculation.
Other voters said Massie’s departures from Trump’s agenda have crossed a line. Steve Jarvis, a 77-year-old retired law enforcement officer at the dinner, said he decided to vote against Massie for the first time because Massie’s votes against key Trump-backed efforts made it impossible to keep backing him. Jarvis said, “Made me sad, truly it does,” and added that he “like[s] Massie,” but said Massie’s stance on major legislation “made me nuts” and that he can’t do it anymore. Jarvis pointed to Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” describing it as “crucial,” and said, “I understand voting your principle once or twice,” but “at some point in time when it becomes crucial, I think they have to get in line.” He said he expects Gallrein would get in line.
Jana Kathman, a 56-year-old registered nurse who said she will vote for Massie even though he makes her mad, described her decision in personal terms. Kathman said she “just like[s] him as a person” and “like[s] how he lives his life,” and said she thinks he “stands very strong with his convictions.” She said she is not impressed by Trump’s endorsement and attacks, saying, “I don’t like when Trump plays the little games as soon as someone opposes him, but we know that’s how Trump lashes out.”
Gallrein’s campaign message at the Lincoln Day Dinner emphasized gratitude for Trump and loyalty to Trump-backed policies, with an explicit contrast to Massie. The AP reported that Gallrein mounted the stage with a prepared speech, drew a line from Ronald Reagan to his service in the Navy SEALs, and said Trump recently asked him to serve again in Congress. Gallrein hyped Trump’s refusal of a salary and then listed Trump-backed policies Massie voted against, while also lumping Massie with “radical Democrats.” Gallrein declined an interview request, and the AP reported he has also declined to attend candidate forums and debates with Massie.
Massie said his campaign is built around the claim that politicians promise in campaigns and then “go along to get along” in Washington, and he cast Gallrein’s expected loyalty to Trump as part of that dynamic. Massie said, “Politicians promise during the campaign, and then they go to D.C. to go along to get along,” and added, “My opponent is promising to go along to get along.” He also said he thinks Trump’s anger is likely to fade after the primary, comparing the attacks to the “antibodies” that come from a “natural infection.” Massie said, “Once this race is over, I don’t think there’s any benefit to him attacking me, I’ll have the antibodies from a natural infection,” and described the contest as a “booster shot.”
Massie told The Associated Press that the primary is “by far the most challenging reelection I’ve ever faced,” in a district where Trump won by 35 points two years ago. The outcome is likely to be read by both sides as more than a local contest: the AP reported that Trump has already dislodged several Indiana state senators who opposed his redistricting plan, and that Trump is supporting a primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana on Saturday. In Kentucky, Massie’s supporters are saying that even if Trump drives the argument, voters may still decide that Massie’s independence remains worth keeping—while his opponents are arguing that party alignment has become the deciding measure.