Ed Gallrein launched a campaign to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Thomas Massie in the GOP primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday, The Hill reported.
Gallrein’s announcement came after President Donald Trump endorsed him on Friday.
Gallrein said in a statement for his launch that, “this district is Trump Country. The president doesn’t need obstacles in Congress — he needs backup.
“I’ll defeat Thomas Massie, stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, and deliver the America First results Kentuckians voted for.”
Massie has been harshly criticized by Trump by voting against a number of the president’s policy issues, including Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” massive reconciliation package.
Massie has also pushed for the release of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a move that Trump opposes.
In Trump’s endorsement of Gallrein on Friday, the president wrote on Truth Social: “I hope Ed gets into the race against Massie, who is now polling at about 9% because the great people of Kentucky are wise to him — He only votes against the Republican Party, making life very easy for the Radical Left.”
Trump added that, “unlike ‘lightweight’ Massie, a totally ineffective loser who has failed us so badly, Captain Ed Gallrein is a winner who will not let you down.”
The president also pointed out that Gallrein is a former Navy SEAL and Army Ranger, as well as a very successful businessman.
Massie — who has more than $2 million in cash on hand for his reelection bid, including $768,000 in contributions from July to September, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission — slammed Gallrein as a weak opponent, The Hill reported.
“After having been rejected by every elected official in the 4th District, Trump’s consultants clearly pushed the panic button with their choice of failed candidate and establishment hack Ed Gallrein,” Massie said. “Ed’s been begging them to pick him for over three months now.”
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