Fierce GOP battle in red state emerges as test of Trump's influence

On the right, two GOP lawmakers who are now on President Donald Trump's bad side are from Kentucky: Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie. Tensions between Trump and Massie escalated in 2025 when the libertarian congressman vehemently criticized parts of the Big, Beautiful Bill Act that he viewed as incompatible with fiscal conservativism. Now, Massie is angering Trump with his outspoken criticism of the decision to go to war with Iran.

In an article published on March 8, the New York Times Tim Balk stresses that a GOP congressional primary battle in Kentucky — one that finds incumbent Massie up against Trump loyalist Ed Gallrein.

"Mr. Massie, a libertarian with a contrarian streak, was a rare Republican to split with Mr. Trump over the war," Balk explains. "Only one House Republican, Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio, joined Mr. Massie in supporting a failed measure last week to force the president to go to Congress for approval to continue using force against Iran. As Mr. Massie braces for the fight of his political life against Ed Gallrein, a farmer who has pledged fealty to the president, he has sought to reframe the race, saying it is not simply between him and Mr. Gallrein, but between him and groups, including the Republican Jewish Coalition, that want to 'make an example' out of him…. In a statement, Mr. Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, praised Mr. Trump's handling of the war, and said his own military career had taught him that swift 'action, clear objectives, and overwhelming strength save American lives and prevent larger wars.'"

Massie argues that by opposing Trump's Iran policy, he is agreeing with the Trump of 2024 — who, during the presidential race, promised to keep the United States out of new wars. Some Trump supporters, in fact, claimed that if Democratic nominee Kamala Harris won, she would escalate U.S. involvement in the Ukraine/Russia War and drag the U.S. into a Middle Eastern conflict as well.

Massie told the Times, "My Republican colleagues, over and over, are being forced to choose between President Trump's position now and his position on the campaign trail. And I'm sticking with his positions on the campaign trail."