OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
7:03 AM – Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Representative Thomas Massie has filed paperwork to run for his Kentucky seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2028, shortly after losing the Republican primary election to his Trump-backed challenger.
Massie (R-Ky.) announced to X on Monday that he had filed with the Federal Election Commission for the 2028 House race.
“This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office,” he wrote. “I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run.”
Last week, Massie was defeated by former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in a primary election that broke election spending records.
The congressman conceded to Gallrein, but not without criticism in his concession speech.
“I would’ve come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede. And it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” Massie commented.
President Donald Trump posted several statements against Massie on his Truth Social platform leading up to the Kentucky election. In one post, he called Massie the “worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country.”
Massie is known for being a libertarian Republican. In his staunch opposition to increases in federal spending, he has often voted against his party. He opposed Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” In particular, and has been a critic of the Trump administration and Israel’s conflict with Iran.
In his concession speech, Massie also disparaged Trump’s construction of a ballroom in the White House, which the president plans to use for large events such as state dinners and future inaugurations.
“While gas is almost five dollars and diesel’s almost six, they’re talking about this big ballroom they’re going to build. And it looks like the Roman Empire … I see a few analogies there,” he said in his concession speech.
Massie indicated he would be “decompressing” after more than a decade in office before deciding how to move forward. His supporters have floated the idea of him running for president, though he has made no final decision to that end.
The 2028 general election will be held on Tuesday, November 7th. Kentucky’s presidential primaries are slated for Tuesday, May 16th, based on the projected primary calendar for the cycle.
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