Thomas Massie files to run in 2028 after losing to Trump pick Ed Gallrein | Republicans

Thomas Massie is planning his comeback.

The conservative Kentucky congressman has filed to run again for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2028, less than a week after he was defeated in a 55-45 primary by Donald Trump’s handpicked opponent, Ed Gallrein.

Last week, the US president celebrated as Massie, who has been a thorn in the side of Republicans, became the latest person to be removed from office by his political operation. “He deserves to lose,” Trump said.

But Massie, who has seven months left in Congress, has made clear he plans to stay engaged.

“I filed with the FEC for the 2028 House race,” he wrote on social media Monday. “This allows me to raise funds to continue my political activities that support my position as a current officeholder and potential candidate for federal office. I have not made a final decision about which office I will run for if I run for office.”

There is discussion appeared About Massie’s potential as a US presidential candidate in the post-Trump political environment, despite losing last Tuesday.

Massie, a powerful member of the House Freedom Caucus, aligned herself with Trump just months into the president’s second term. Massie criticized the administration’s tariff regime and spending and was one of two Republicans to vote against Trump’s One Big Good Bill Act. Massie co-wrote legislation that forced the Justice Department to distribute the Epstein Files, which were linked to convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Massie, who lost to challenger Ed Gallrein last week, represents a generally conservative district of northern Kentucky that includes the suburbs of Louisville and Cincinnati. Even by modern political standards, this rivalry was fiercely contested. Massie sharply criticized The use of artificial intelligence in political advertising in race; One of the ads realistically depicted him escorting two female Democratic leaders to a hotel room.

The race became the most expensive House primary in history. WLKY reporters in Louisville noted He said more than 94% of the money spent both to unseat Massie and defend him came from out of state, and that Massie’s opposition was fueled by billionaire donors and Pacs associated with the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee.

“They couldn’t buy my vote for 14 years, so they bought this seat,” Massie said on Sunday’s NBC Meet the Press. “This was the most expensive race in congressional primary history, and by the end of this race, my side and the opposing side were spending more per day than most of the other congressional races had spent over the entire cycle.”