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A Republican Congressman from Kentucky isn't afraid to tell his party or President Trump no. That has made Thomas Massie a national figure and a target of Trump's at the same time. Now Massie is facing the toughest primary challenge of his career from former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Kentucky Public Radio's Sylvia Goodman reports.
SYLVIA GOODMAN, BYLINE: You may remember Massie as the Republican who led the fight to get the Jeffrey Epstein files released, or the one who's consistently opposed Trump's involvement in foreign conflicts, or maybe as the one of two House GOP no votes on Trump's signature policy package, the One Big Beautiful Bill.
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THOMAS MASSIE: I'm not going to vote with the party if they're going to bankrupt this country.
GOODMAN: With his signature federal debt clock on his lapel, Massie hasn't shied away from being the GOP opposition voice, even when it makes him unpopular in his party. He says constituents in his northern Kentucky district don't want a rubber stamp.
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MASSIE: There are people who may be registered to one party or the other, but when they go to the ballot box, they vote based on their beliefs and also do they trust the person. And I think I've earned the trust of Republicans, independents and some Democrats.
GOODMAN: Trump has certainly not been quiet about his displeasure with Massie. On his social media feeds, he's called him a, quote, "sick wacko," a "complete and total disaster" and the "Republican Party's worst congressman ever." The president has made it abundantly clear he wants Massie out, including when he came to Kentucky in March to loudly and proudly support his chosen candidate to take him on - Ed Gallrein.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Give me somebody with a warm body to beat Massie. And I got somebody with a warm body but a big, beautiful brain and a great patriot. He's unbelievable.
GOODMAN: If you're looking for where Gallrein splits with the president, you won't find it.
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ED GALLREIN: I'm 100% behind the president and what he's doing to turn our nation around.
GOODMAN: Gallrein, a decorated Navy SEAL officer whose family are longtime Kentucky farmers, points to Trump's huge margins in Kentucky, which are even bigger in Massie's congressional district. In 2024, Trump won Massie's district by more than 35 points.
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GALLREIN: They support our president - all right? - 1,000%, and now I'm going to represent them.
GOODMAN: But Kentucky has a history of choosing contrarians. Think Senator Rand Paul, who's a strong ally of Massie's and has campaigned with him. Trump has called Massie Rand Paul Jr. Massie says he's stuck with his principles and that's why people vote for him. Massie has long voted against big omnibus bills because of all the spending line items. He says it gives his opponents a lot of ammunition.
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MASSIE: You can run virtually any ad you want against me.
GOODMAN: And, well, the ads in this race have gotten wild. One ad made with artificial intelligence appears to show Massie in a romantic throuple with Democratic congresswomen.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) This is worse than adultery. It's a complete and total betrayal of President Trump.
GOODMAN: With candidate and PAC spending through the roof, it's likely to be one of the country's most expensive House primaries, and some Republican voters are conflicted. While many have voted for Massie for years, they wonder if he's become too much of an obstructionist. Here's Ron Stamm (ph), who attended the Kenton County Republican dinner.
RON STAMM: They pack all these extraneous things to these bills. Well, Thomas Massie's the kind of guy who says, no, I'm not going to vote for all of this other stuff.
GOODMAN: Stamm does wonder, maybe that strategy doesn't work in Washington. Others say they don't want to vote for a puppet and respect Massie for standing behind the same values he's always had. But Trump loyalists, like Janice Sewell (ph) from Hebron, who attended Trump's northern Kentucky rally, say it's time for Massie to get out of the way.
JANICE SEWELL: He should be a registered Democrat. Seriously, that's how I feel, because he votes with the Democrats on everything.
GOODMAN: Polls have gone back and forth. Up until last week, Massie had the edge, but a recent poll showed Gallrein picking up steam.
For NPR News, I'm Sylvia Goodman in Louisville, Kentucky.
(SOUNDBITE OF SVANEBORG KARDYB'S "BLUESEN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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