Former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein launched a campaign on Tuesday seeking to oust Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) after being urged to do so by President Donald Trump.
Trump pressured Gallrein to mount a primary challenge to “third-rate Congressman” Massie last week after the libertarian incumbent lawmaker bucked the president on his sweeping “big, beautiful bill,” among other issues, due to concerns it could raise the national debt.
Gallrein said this week he was “ready to answer” the president’s call ahead of the 2026 election.
“After serving as a SEAL – including war zones all over the world – I came home to KY where my family has farmed for five generations. This is Trump Country – but Thomas Massie is blocking the President’s agenda. I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with Trump and deliver for KY,” he announced in a post to X launching his campaign, after suggesting earlier this year that he was more than open to challenging Massie.
“While Trump is fighting to restore America, Thomas Massie is standing in the way. I served over 30 yrs as a Navy SEAL & military advisor – I’m ready to answer the call again. I’m proud to have Trump’s endorsement, and I’ll stand with him to deliver America First results for KY,” Gallrein added.
Before being endorsed by Trump this month, Gallrein was backed by establishment GOP leaders when he ran last year for a seat in the Kentucky state Senate. He lost the three-way primary campaign to rival Aaron Reed, who won by under 200 votes.
Massie, known as a fiscally conservative libertarian in the upper chamber, has already sought to frame Gallrein as an establishment candidate holding ties to the likes of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Massie views lawmakers such as Graham as “neocons” who prioritize what he believes to be needless U.S. wars and intervention in global conflicts over problems he sees as having a closer effect on Kentucky residents.
Massie highlighted those concerns and others in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“The uniparty in DC finally found someone willing to be a rubber stamp for globalist billionaires, endless debt, foreign aid, and forever wars in failed candidate and Lindsey Graham donor Ed Gallrein,” he said.
“Fourth district voters appreciate having an independent conservative voice who works for them and I look forward to continuing my fight for transparency, constitutional rights, secure borders, a true America-first foreign policy, and fiscal responsibility,” the lawmaker continued.
On Monday, Massie highlighted the results in his 2024 reelection campaign in which he said he won multiple counties that Gallrein lost in his Senate race.
“Did they show Trump these results?” the incumbent congressman questioned.
APPEALS COURT ALLOWS TRUMP TO DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD TO PORTLAND
Massie also recently pointed to historic fundraising numbers for his reelection campaign, suggesting that primary challengers are “getting cold feet thanks to our record-breaking numbers.”
“Although $2 million has been spent against me, my job approval in KY is good and every corner of the country is behind me!” the Kentucky Republican said after his campaign marked the best fundraising quarter of his career, raising nearly $800,000 from July through September.
