Rand Paul endorsed Thomas Massey against a Trump-backed primary challenger

Sen. Rand PaulR-Ky., said that he and fellow libertarian-minded lawmaker, Rep. Thomas Massey, R-Ky. will support him, as he faces a primary challenge from a candidate backed by President Donald Trump.

Trump backed vocal loyalist and former Navy SEAL Ed Gallerin last week after calling Massey a 2026 challenger, who is pressuring the administration to release remaining files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

Massey has stood by Trump and supported his party on other issues over the summer, including voting against the president’s spending bill and affirming that Trump needs congressional approval for a declaration of war. Paul, who has sided with Trump, voted against the bill in the Senate and criticized the administration for going ahead with military strikes without lawmakers’ authorization.

Now, there is Paul Supporting Macy’s re-election campaign And promising to help keep him in his House seat.

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Sen. Rep. Rand Paul Thomas Massey pledged to help President Donald Trump during his primary challenge. (Getty Images)

“Thomas Massey is going to win,” Paul told Politico. “I’m going to help him. I’m going to be with him every step of the way.”

Paul said Massey represents an “independent voice” in the GOP after repeated divisions in the party, but said both Massey and himself support Trump’s agenda “significantly more” than other Republicans who have sought to remain close allies of the president.

“The people who are close to him who want regime change in Venezuela and send more advanced weapons to Ukraine are the interventionists of the interventionist wing of the party who have never been close friends,” Paul said. “These are people who have always opposed Donald Trump.”

Paul said he and Massey will continue to push for “mathematical power” as well as “balanced budgets, lower taxes and fewer foreign wars.”

said the Kentucky senator Trump’s efforts to oust Macy’s All Republican lawmakers should be concerned, stressing that opposing the president’s agenda has potential political consequences.

In 2026, President Donald Trump nominated Rep. Endorsed outspoken loyalist and former Navy SEAL Ed Gallerin after calling out challenger Thomas Massey. (Left: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Right: Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images)

“It’s a warning sign,” he said. “‘Oppose me or any of my policies and I will come after you.’ And I don’t think that’s good for the Republican Party, or I don’t think that’s good for the country.”

The senator said he’s tired of being the “whipping boy” of the Republican Party, because many of his colleagues always want him to “do their job for them,” when they’re afraid to tell Trump that their nominees don’t have the votes in the upper chamber.

“They say, ‘Oh, well, you’re not afraid of the president. You tell him his nominee can’t do it,’ ” Paul said. “So, I’m tired of always being the whipping boy. I’m tired of (being) the only one who has the guts to stand up and tell the president the truth.”

Paul has also faced Trump’s wrath in recent months, but has maintained his stance. More recently, he has criticized the administration’s military raids on boats it accuses of carrying suspected terrorists, without evidence.

Paul expressed concern about killing people without due process and the possibility of innocent people being killed. He cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded on suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.

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Sen. Rand Paul said that Rep. Thomas Massey represents the “independent voice” in the GOP. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Earlier this week, Paul revealed that he was not invited to a White House dinner with other GOP senators because of his feud with Trump. But Paul said he still had a “Liberty Caucus Lunch” scheduled with Massey during that time.

Paul also campaigned with Macy’s last month and said he plans to do so again in the near future.

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“We had big rallies and big support. So people think they can waltz in Kentucky New York with a bunch of money and buy a seat. They have another thing coming,” Paul told Politico.

Massey easily won the GOP primary for his district in 2024, garnering 76% of the vote before running unopposed in the general election.