Allies of Rep. Thomas Massie are taking a political gamble that could put them directly in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs by standing beside the Kentucky Republican in the toughest primary fight of his career.
Trump has long been known to punish Republicans who defy him, whether over major policy disputes or personal slights. Now, some Republicans backing Massie are discovering that support for the Kentucky libertarian carries a major risk.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) got a taste of that backlash after appearing with Massie at a campaign event over the weekend. Boebert’s deployment to Kentucky came at the same time as a parade of Trump allies descended on Massie’s district to campaign for his Trump-backed challenger, Ed Gallrein.
“Is anyone interested in running against Weak Minded Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District?” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
“Boebert is campaigning for the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” the president continued, adding that it would be his “honor” to withdraw his endorsement and back a challenger.
Boebert brushed off the president’s attack.
“Yes, I saw the President’s post,” she wrote on X. “No, I’m not mad or offended. I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie. I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA.”
Boebert is not the only GOP lawmaker who could face Trump’s ire. Reps. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) and Warren Davidson (R-OH), along with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), have also rallied behind Massie. Spartz and Davidson joined Boebert on the campaign trail in Kentucky over the weekend.
“Even if Massie somehow survives — as he has before — Trump isn’t going to forget it,” GOP strategist Dennis Lennox told the Washington Examiner.
Massie himself appeared to acknowledge the political risk for his allies, telling Scripps News on Monday: “I have friends in Congress, and they’re sticking their neck out for me.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump has aggressively flexed his political muscle against Republicans willing to oppose his agenda.
This year alone, Trump-aligned groups spent millions to defeat for renomination several Indiana GOP state senators who refused the president’s redistricting push. Sen Bill Cassidy (R-LA) saw his chances at reelection tank after Trump endorsed a primary challenger as payback for a five-year-old vote in favor of impeachment for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Yet even those contests pale in comparison to the effort Trump has undertaken to oust Massie. The race has already shattered records for the most expensive primary in history. More than $32 million has been spent overall, with Trump-aligned groups pouring more than $7 million into the race and pro-Israel organizations spending another $9 million to unseat Massie.
Lennox said the money flooding into the race underscored how determined Trump is to oust Massie — and suggested the president is unlikely to forget Republicans who sided with him.
LAUREN BOEBERT TO CAMPAIGN FOR THOMAS MASSIE AHEAD OF TOUGH PRIMARY
“Massie was never inside the party’s tent,” Lennox said. “He’s always operated from outside it. And if he loses, the consultants, operatives, and vendors who tied themselves to him are politically stranded unless November turns into a total wipeout for Trump’s Republican Party.”
The outcome of Tuesday’s primary is likely to reverberate far beyond the state. A Massie loss would further cement Trump’s dominance over the GOP, while a victory could offer a road map for anti-establishment conservatives willing to challenge the president.