Written by Florence resident Sheryle Pinson
According to my mailbox, something called “Better Tomorrow” in Utah wants me to tell Thomas Massie to “stop voting with Democrats.” Unless I missed a massive seismic shift, Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District is nowhere near Utah. Thanks, “Better Tomorrow,” but I’ll form opinions of Kentucky’s candidates without advice from political marketers in Utah.
At a recent Boone County GOP meeting at which Rep. Massie spoke and answered constituents’ questions for 90 minutes, a Republican voter hotly confronted him about voting “with Democrats” and “against Trump.” Frustrated that Rep. Massie agrees with him only 90% of the time instead of always, President Trump has routinely insulted his voting record, his intelligence and even his marriage. He’s called the congressman a loser—sorry, “LOSER!”—a third-rate grandstander and (Rep. Massie’s two MIT engineering degrees notwithstanding) a moron, among other petulant taunts.
Thanks, Mr. President, but even though I voted for you three times, I’ll form opinions of Kentucky’s candidates without advice from you, either.
And I’m voting for Thomas Massie.
The idea that Thomas Massie votes “with Democrats” is like assuming two vehicles are tearing down the highway at 90 mph for the same reason. They may both be on the same road, but one’s a getaway car hauling Bonnie and Clyde and the other is an ambulance.
Thomas Massie votes now the way he has voted since he’s been in office, long before President Trump came down the golden escalator or AOC stopped tending bar. He pushed back hard on the One Big Beautiful Bill, for example, for the same reason he’s voted against omnibus bills before—they’re a lazy dereliction of fiscal responsibility and feed Congress’s gluttonous appetite for spending. They force reps to vote for everything or nothing—and voters then get duplicitous marketing dreck like “Massie votes with Democrats.”
Rep. Massie insists on recorded votes instead of voice votes, because voice votes enable cowardice. How are constituents supposed to know where their reps stand if they won’t go on record? Stump speeches are easy. Taking a stand on the record is hard. People complain that politicians have no principles. In Rep. Massie, they’ve got a politician with rock-solid principles and now—post golden escalator and bar—that’s suddenly a problem?
The president hand-picked Ed Gallrein to run against Rep. Massie. Mr. Gallrein boasts a long and impressive military record, which can indicate not only leadership potential but also well-tuned muscle memory for obeying orders. In an article published at wkms.org, Kentucky Public Radio’s Capitol reporter Sylvia Goodman wrote, “Ed Gallrein touts his Trump endorsement and says he’ll act in lockstep with the president.”
In fact, the message of Mr. Gallrein’s campaign has been just that: “President Trump endorsed me, I’ll vote the way he tells me to vote and look at my military career.”
The 4th District has had virtually no opportunity to weigh the candidates side-by-side on policy, because Mr. Gallrein has steadfastly refused to debate. As one of several examples, I tuned in to KET on May 4, when both candidates were invited to respond to a moderator’s questions. Rep. Massie was there; Mr. Gallrein was again a no-show.
Consistently, on principle, Thomas Massie votes according to the US Constitution. He doesn’t work for the president. He works for Kentucky’s 4th District. He’s not afraid to stand alone, and that kind of courage is hen’s teeth among politicians. There are precious few with backbone in Washington. Kentucky is fortunate to have one in Thomas Massie.