2 weeks ago
At Pee Wee’s Place, a barroom and edifice successful Crescent Springs, bluish Kentucky, biscuits and gravy spell for $6 and liver and onions for $14.75. The walls are adorned pinch US flags, sports memorabilia, amusement machines, a TV showing Fox News and a poster that proclaims: “Let nan gays get married. Let nan rednecks person their guns. Let nan atheists beryllium atheists. Let nan Christians beryllium Christians. America is astir FREEDOM.”
Sitting astatine nan bar, John Johnson, 78, and his boy Lance, 47, are discussing an upcoming predetermination successful which Thomas Massie, a maverick congressman, is aiming to beryllium that a Republican tin defy Donald Trump and survive. “I’m leaning to Massie because I for illustration his cognition erstwhile it comes to being consecutive up connected issues,” says John, a contractor who voted for Trump successful 2024. “Him and Trump hit disconnected each different each now and then, but he’s a constitutionalist, he speaks his portion and he’s correct a batch of times.”
Kentucky’s 4th legislature district wends its measurement from Louisville’s outer suburbs northbound towards nan commuter fringes of Cincinnati, Ohio, and eastbound to nan separator of Appalachia. A Republican superior predetermination present connected 19 May will pit Massie against a Trump-endorsed challenger, Ed Gallrein, a husbandman and retired US Navy Seal, successful a important trial of nan president’s strength.
Massie, 55, is already nan objection that proves nan norm of Republican politics. While others person capitulated and genuflected to nan president complete nan past decade, eliciting comparisons pinch a characteristic cult, nan seven-term congressman pinch a libertarian bent has emerged arsenic ever much defiant.
He voted against Trump’s sprawling taxation and spending cuts bill; co-authored authorities compelling nan justness section to release nan Jeffrey Epstein files; sought to revoke tariffs connected Canada; and joined Democrats successful opposing Trump’s decisions to onslaught Venezuela and Iran without legislature approval. “Bombing a state connected nan different broadside of nan globe won’t make nan Epstein files spell away,” Massie said.
Now Trump is gunning for revenge. He has branded Massie a “lowlife”, “moron” and “weak and pathetic”, and moreover mocked him for remarrying 16 months aft nan abrupt decease of his woman of much than 30 years. He told a rally successful nan territory successful March: “We’ve sewage to get free of this loser. This feline is bad. He’s disloyal to nan Republican party. He’s disloyal to nan group of Kentucky, and astir importantly, he is disloyal to nan United States of America. And he’s sewage to beryllium voted retired of agency arsenic soon arsenic possible.”
Two of nan president’s astir trusted strategists, Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio, are starring Maga KY, a governmental action committee backing Gallrein’s bid to unseat Massie successful what Politico has dubbed “the Beltway v nan Bluegrass”.
The result is acold from certain, pinch early polling suggesting a adjacent race. One root successful nan authorities Republican statement said: “Massie is successful trouble,” pointing to his deficiency of beingness successful nan territory and anemic crushed game. Others contend that, pinch awesome fundraising and nan advantage of incumbency, nan congressman is good placed astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile support for Trump is cratering because of nan Iran warfare and rising state prices.
The title has efficaciously go a stark referendum connected nan 2 men. Shane Noem, nan chair of nan Kenton region Republican party, said: “It’s a pick-a-side infinitesimal for a batch of members. Congressman Massie has been successful agency for 14 years and has been a accordant advocator for his platforms. President Trump’s been a known entity since 2016 successful nan Republican party. A batch of voters are wrestling with: are we pinch nan president, aliases are we pinch our congressman?”
The district, pinch a organization of 776,082, is 86% achromatic and has a median family income of $81,874. Trump carried it pinch two-thirds of nan ballot successful 2024; Massie won nan past 3 primaries pinch three-quarters of nan vote. For galore loyal Republicans, nan men’s feud has created an agonisingly individual choice.
Steven Doan, a authorities typical aligned pinch Kentucky’s “Liberty” movement, said: “It’s benignant of for illustration Mommy and Daddy fighting. You emotion some of them and you support some of them. But astatine nan extremity of nan day, Thomas has been our feline for a agelong clip and there’s a batch of loyalty present successful nan territory to him. People look to admit that astatine slightest we person 1 honorable leader successful Washington DC.”
Doan gives short shrift to Gallrein. “Nobody knows thing astir nan guy, and he’s not moreover moving a campaign. The president is fundamentally moving nan run connected his behalf. He won’t debate; he won’t show you wherever he stands connected nan issues; he’s fundamentally taking nan Joe Biden-in-the-basement strategy, and that’s what he’s trying to tally with.”
Some voters respect Massie for his uncompromising principles and willingness to guidelines his crushed against nan president connected difficult issues. Back astatine Pee Wee’s Place, Lance Johnson, who voted for Trump 3 times, reasoned: “I’ve coached shot and, if each coach agrees pinch each other, past I deliberation something’s wrong, truthful location has to beryllium personification that disagrees pinch something.
“Massie is 90% of nan clip pinch Trump. It’s conscionable 1 aliases 2 things that he doesn’t, and I work together pinch him connected those 1 aliases 2 things. I’d for illustration to spot nan Epstein files travel retired completely. Everybody that is simply a portion of it needs to beryllium shown.”
In addition, Trump’s banal has fallen pinch immoderate Kentuckians struggling pinch an affordability crisis. Lance added: “The Iran warfare could person been handled a batch better. We were walked into it. I thrust each time for my activity and instrumentality takes gas. I’ve sewage 2 young kids. Groceries person gone up, truthful it’s been tougher. Everybody is spending much money correct now.”
But sitting astatine a array nearby, different patron was not truthful impressed by Massie’s stubborn streak of rebellion. Jim Carmichael, 57, who runs a spot company, views Massie arsenic a “Rino” (Republican successful sanction only) who votes against nan statement formation acold excessively frequently.
“I don’t mind anybody calling things into question, but if you’re nan dissenting ballot successful nan party, aliases if you are nan ballot that lets nan different statement win, past I person a problem pinch it,” Carmichael said. “There were a fewer times successful peculiar that Massie should person voted pinch nan president, and he didn’t, and it had nary effect. He was doing it conscionable to make a point.
“Sometimes there’s a greater good, right? Your point’s been made, truthful why do it? It’s good if he wants to guidelines connected that principle, much powerfulness to him, because he’s going to find he’s without a seat.”
Danny Ridder, a retired educator, 74, shares nan frustration. “Everything that is projected to him, he votes against it,” said Ridder. “There’s gotta beryllium reason, and he doesn’t stock those reasons.”
This vicious title is not taking spot successful a vacuum. Kentucky, nan birthplace of erstwhile Republican president Abraham Lincoln, was besides important to nan early years of nan Tea Party movement, which stirred populist resentment towards authorities spending, and attracted some conservatives and libertarians.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, boy of erstwhile congressman Ron Paul, was elected successful 2010 pinch Tea Party backing and often adopts libertarian positions, including guidance to overseas subject interventions. Massie gained his spot successful 2012. Meanwhile Senator Mitch McConnell, erstwhile a personification of nan Republican establishment, has himself shown an independent streak by bucking Trump successful caller years.
Steve Voss, a governmental intelligence astatine nan University of Kentucky, noted that investigation has shown nan 4th legislature territory is nan only portion of Kentucky wherever group place arsenic midwestern, alternatively than southern. “When nan Tea Party arose successful astir 2010, it was bluish Kentucky, arsenic pinch nan remainder of nan midwest, wherever that activity was concentrated,” he said.
Massie plays up to nan image of rugged individualism. In 2021, he was criticized aft sharing a Christmas photo of his family posing pinch military-style rifles, conscionable days aft a deadly schoolhouse shooting. His bio connected nan X societal media level describes him arsenic an “Appalachian American” and “Engineer, Farmer, Inventor” pinch 30 patents.
Indeed, Massie lives successful a self-built, 4,400-sq-ft timber framework location connected a 1,000-acre workplace successful Lewis county, Kentucky. The location is wholly off-the-grid, powered by star panels, and features a repurposed wrecked Tesla Model S battery and rainwater postulation system. He calls it “the Shire”, a reference to nan self-sufficient location of nan hobbits successful JRR Tolkien’s imagination world. He plays banjo and does not ain a TV.
He has been dogged successful pursuit of nan Epstein files, working crossed nan aisle pinch Ro Khanna, a Democratic congressman from California. Khanna said: “He is principled, very courageous, superb mind, quick-witted, consenting to return risk. I person a batch of respect for him. He has nan full Trump statesmanlike run servants of nan state moving against him successful a legislature seat. He is showing unthinkable courage and, erstwhile he wins, he’s going to beryllium an moreover bigger nationalist figure.”
But Massie’s rigid ideological committedness could wounded him astatine nan ballot box. Early successful his career, Massie refused to thief his constituents entree national programs that he opposed, a hardline stance that permanently alienated section business leaders and officials.
Tres Watson, a Republican governmental strategist and big of Kentucky Politics Weekly podcast, said: “It’s not wholly a Trump-Massie battle. There’s astir apt 30% of nan territory inclined to ballot against Massie because of nan measurement he handles his territory office. When he first came into office, he fundamentally said, if I don’t work together pinch nan programme , I’m not going to thief my constituents entree it.
“He sewage talked down disconnected that, but your enclosure of commerce-type group person ever wanted to get free of Massie. You person nan Trump thing, but past you person different group that person agelong wanted to elite personification other for wholly unrelated reasons, truthful he’s sewage to watch that flank too.”
Watson still predicts a Massie win, but added: “If he loses, Trump’s going to activity nan emblem and opportunity that he did it; Trump unsocial couldn’t person done it. It’s nan opponents that Massie’s got, specifically your enclosure of commerce Republicans mixed pinch nan Trump Republicans.”
The congressman’s defiance has earned him grudging respect from nan different broadside of nan governmental aisle. Linda Vila Passione, 68, a retired coach primitively from New York, said: “I americium a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, but immoderate of nan worldly that Massie says erstwhile it comes to arguing pinch nan moron successful complaint is correct up my alley.”
Massie and Gallrein’s offices did not respond to requests for comment. When nan Guardian visited Massie’s run headquarters successful a squat ceramic building astatine a road intersection successful Florence, Kentucky, a connection posted connected nan doorway asked that questions beryllium sent by email. Beside it sat a woody crate containing a stack of Massie gait signs lying upside down.
