Thomas Massie’s Primary Opponent is Raising a LOT of Money.

WHAT HAPPENED: Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and GOP challenger to Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), raised $1.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, his campaign announced.

WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ed Gallrein, Rep. Thomas Massie, President Donald J. Trump, and campaign spokesman Lance Trover.

WHEN & WHERE: The fundraising announcement came in December 2025, with the GOP primary for Kentucky’s fourth congressional district scheduled for May 19, 2026.

KEY QUOTE: “President Trump endorsed Ed because he knows Ed is fighting to put America First and will partner with him to unleash our economy, lower taxes, and stop the woke agenda.” – Lance Trover, Gallrein campaign spokesman

IMPACT: Gallrein’s early fundraising success positions him as a serious challenger to Massie, with Trump’s endorsement amplifying his campaign.

Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL who served for three decades—including on SEAL Team Six—and is mounting a primary challenge against Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), has raised $1.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, his campaign has announced. The campaign attributes this significant fundraising milestone to the overwhelming support Gallrein has received since entering the race in October.

“This fundraising number reflects the overwhelming support Ed’s campaign has received right out of the gate,” Gallrein campaign spokesman Lance Trover said, emphasizing that President Donald J. Trump’s endorsement has been pivotal. “President Trump endorsed Ed because he knows Ed is fighting to put America First and will partner with him to unleash our economy, lower taxes, and stop the woke agenda,” Tover added.

Gallrein launched his campaign to challenge Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District. According to Gallrein’s campaign, nearly all the money they’ve raised thus far is from contributions for the primary cycle, not the general election, suggesting growing Republican support for ousting Massie, who has held the seat since November 2012. Republican voters and other supporters of President Trump have become increasingly frustrated with Massie, who has too often sided with Congressional Democrats to block the White House’s America First agenda.

During the first year of President Trump’s second term, Massie voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill, which provides significant working-class tax relief and needed funding for immigration enforcement. Before the 2024 election, Massie emerged as an unlikely ally of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was ousted by former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) after breaking an agreement with House conservatives over spending bills.

President Trump is publicly backing Gallrein’s primary campaign, calling him a “winner,” and writing on Truth Social before the primary bid, “I hope Ed gets into the Race against Massie… CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.” The Kentucky Republican primary is slated for May 2026.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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