- Massie leads Ed Gallrein in early polling but faces his closest GOP primary challenge since 2012.
- The race has tightened following Gallrein’s endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
- Massie emphasized his independence, saying he is not a “rubber stamp” and represents constituents over party leadership.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie was back in Northern Kentucky on Wednesday, April 8, where he spoke before a crowd of potential voters amid a tough primary challenge from former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.
Massie, along with Democratic candidate Jesse Brewer, joined the Optimist Club of Covington at PeeWee’s in Crescent Springs to discuss their campaigns for Congress.
Brewer is facing Melissa Strange in the Democratic primary. Both the Republican and Democratic primaries are scheduled for May 19.
Gallrein is Massie’s toughest GOP primary opponent since he was first elected in 2012, when he defeated current Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore and former state Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington.
At the moment, Massie is polling ahead of Gallrein. A Quantas Insights poll published on April 9 found that Massie leads Gallrein 46.8% to 37.7%. Furthermore, Polymarket, a prediction market, lists Massie as 66% likely to win the GOP primary as of today.
However, Gallrein, armed with an endorsement from President Donald Trump, is polling closer to Massie than many prior Republican primaries. Massie has garnered over 65% of the votes in every GOP primary since 2018. Gallrein’s presence in the race has tightened the polling margin, leaving Massie’s reelection chances in their most precarious position yet.
During his stump speech at the Optimist Club, Massie differentiated himself from Gallrein by telling the audience that his legislative philosophy is not to be a rubber stamp in Congress, but rather to represent his constituents and follow his principles.
“If you want a rubber stamp in Washington, D.C., I’m not your guy,” Massie said on April 8. “I represent 750,000 people. I don’t represent the Republican Party. I don’t represent the president. I don’t work for the President. I don’t even work for the Speaker of the House. America First and Kentucky First, and that’s the way I see it, and that’s the way I’ll be.”
Massie has notably clashed with Trump over a number of legislative disagreements since 2020, namely over his votes against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025, and the CARES Act in 2020, among others. In addition, Massie was the only Republican to co-sponsor the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump eventually signed into law.
Gallrein’s campaign has highlighted the divisions between Massie and Trump, with Gallrein calling Massie a “Benedict Arnold” to the Republican Party and to Trump during a campaign event in Wilder in February.
Massie, however, highlighted some areas of agreement with Trump. He pointed to his support for voter ID requirements in the SAVE America Act, stricter immigration enforcement and the reevaluation of birthright citizenship.
Regarding birthright citizenship, Massie said that “it’s set up an entire industry of tourism. It’s also created a magnet for illegal immigration, and so I support the president’s position on that, and have done so in writing to the Supreme Court.”
Massie serves on three House committees: Transportation and Infrastructure, Judiciary, and Rules. Within these, he is part of subcommittees focused on aviation, highways and waterways under the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as constitutional issues and courts under the Judiciary Committee.
Massie said it was important for him to have a presence on the infrastructure-focused committees because of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and the Greenup Locks and Dam, Captain Anthony Meldahl Locks and Dam, and Markland Locks and Dam on the Ohio River, which are located within his congressional district.
“I’m on the Infrastructure Committee and the Judiciary Committee, and I thought it was important for somebody from Kentucky to be on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” he said. “I’m the only member of Congress from our entire delegation and format committee. I think it’s particularly important to us here in the northern part of Kentucky, because we have the airport.”
Following Massie, Brewer introduced himself to the Optimist Club, where it was his first time speaking as a candidate. Brewer shared his backstory with the audience before laying out his political philosophy.
“I’m very, what we’ll call left-leaning in terms of politics,” he said. “I want people to be themselves. I want people to be happy as long as they’re not harming others. Go have fun, live your life.”
Brewer, a native of Gallatin County now residing in Villa Hills, said his decision to run for office was influenced by his life-threatening battle with cancer in 2024. During this time, Brewer said he encountered many challenges in the healthcare system, which forced him to pay for expensive treatments himself.
This experience, Brewer said, is the main reason his campaign is prioritizing healthcare reform, economic inequality and efforts to reduce political division.
