New Polls Suggest Trump Nemesis Thomas Massie Leads Kentucky GOP Primary Despite Intense Pressure From the President

Congressman Thomas Massie is leading in his Republican primary despite President Trump’s and his allies’ intense campaign against him, two new polls suggest. The libertarian congressman from Kentucky has spoken out against Mr. Trump on multiple occasions about the Epstein files, the president’s foreign adventures, and the national debt. Mr. Massie has long been a thorn in the side of GOP leaders in Congress, though he has never faced pushback as intensely as he is now. Last year, Mr. Trump announced he would hand-pick a challenger to run against Mr. Massis in his upcoming primary after Mr. Massie spoke out against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is expected to add as much as $5 trillion to America’s national debt over the next ten years. Mr. Trump even traveled to Kentucky last month to campaign with his chosen GOP candidate, Ed Gallrein, who was recruited to challenge Mr. Massie. Two polls released on Thursday, however, show that the congressman is weathering the storm fairly well so far. One survey from Quantus Insights shows Mr. Massie leading Mr. Gallrein by nine points, 48 to 39. According to that poll, 14 percent of Republican voters are undecided. “Trump has clearly turned [the race] into a nationalized primary. His endorsement of Ed Gallrein, plus the money and attacks coming at Thomas Massie, have made this a much more serious contest than a typical incumbent primary,” Quantus Insights said in a social media post on Thursday.The firm noted that Mr. Massie’s favorable rating is just over 50 percent — a poor showing for a longtime incumbent. “That suggests the pressure on him may be working at least to some degree,” Quantus Insights wrote. “Massie remains the candidate to beat. But Gallrein shows strength as a challenger, especially so if he has to sprint the last mile,” the polling firm said. A second survey — this one from BIG DATA POLL — also shows Mr. Massie leading, though by a narrower margin. He leads Mr. Gallrein by just about five points, 52.4 percent to 47.6 percent. Mr. Massie reacted to the poll on X Thursday, saying that the result is “too close for comfort.”According to that poll, Mr. Massie’s strongest supporters are young voters, rural Kentuckians, and men. Mr. Massie leads Mr. Gallrein among the cohort that says it is sure to vote in the May primary. Mr. Gallrein leads among those who say they are unsure if they will show up. One of the top Republican strategists who is working to unseat Mr. Massie, Chris LaCivita, previously worked as Mr. Trump’s chief political advisor for the 2024 campaign. He is running the super PAC set up by Mr. Trump’s allies to beat the congressman next month. In response to the Quantus poll on Thursday, Mr. LaCivita accused the firm of hedging by putting out a lengthy statement explaining their survey. “Here’s a sh– poll already hedging because they don’t know a damn thing about polling let alone a GOP primary,” Mr. LaCivita wrote on X. Mr. Massie is getting no love from his colleagues on Capitol Hill despite being in the race of his life. None of the top four Republicans in the House — the speaker, majority leader, majority whip, or conference chairwoman — are backing him. Mr. Massie’s own fellow Kentucky Republican, Congressman Andy Barr, who is running for the U.S. Senate, has endorsed Mr. Gallrein. Senator Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana, has also endorsed Mr. Gallrein.Mr. Massie has pulled together a strong coalition of allies from the libertarian wing of the party and the disaffected MAGA base. Last month, he hosted a livestream fundraising event with Senator Rand Paul and his father, Congressman Ron Paul, as well as two former lawmakers, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Congressman Justin Amash. During that event, Mr. Massie raised more than $300,000 in just a few hours.

New Polls Suggest Trump Nemesis Thomas Massie Leads Kentucky GOP Primary Despite Intense Pressure From the President

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