Just days after losing the most expensive U.S. House primary in American history, Republican Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie filed paperwork on Sunday to run for federal office again in 2028.
The filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) comes immediately after Massie lost his 4th Congressional District primary seat to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein by a nine-point margin. The race drew national attention due to an aggressive opposition campaign led by President Donald Trump and heavily financed by pro-Israel lobbying groups.
Despite the 2028 House filing, Massie clarified that his immediate goal is keeping his political infrastructure alive rather than committing to a specific race.
“I filed with FEC 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. I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run,” Massie announced Monday afternoon in a post on X.
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The primary shattered spending records for a U.S. House primary, with a total of $32 million poured into advertising. Outside groups drove the vast majority of the spending, turning the local race into a proxy war over foreign policy and loyalty to the president.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and allied pro-Israel lobbyists spent $9 million, primarily through independent expenditures, to unseat Massie. Gallrein’s campaign benefited from over $63,000 in direct political action committee (PAC) donations from organizations including the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) and AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP). In addition, outside groups spent over $11.8 million supporting Gallrein, while anti-Massie groups spent more than $15 million to oppose the incumbent.
On the other side, groups supporting Massie—including the Kentucky 4th PAC, Make Liberty Win, and the Defeating Communism PAC—spent upwards of $10 million in independent expenditures. According to data from Decision Desk HQ, the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Kentucky also injected over $7 million into the race to secure Massie’s defeat.
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The deep financial involvement of pro-Israel groups stemmed from Massie’s consistent legislative record against foreign aid and his open criticism of Israel. Massie drew intense backlash for characterizing President Trump’s June 2025 military strikes on Iran as unconstitutional. Later, on May 4, Massie publicly stated that Israel “forced our hand and dragged us” into the conflict with Iran that began on February 28.
The policy rifts led to a highly personal campaign by President Trump, who targeted Massie during a March rally in Hebron, Kentucky, calling the congressman a “complete and total disaster.” Earlier in the year, during the National Prayer Breakfast in February, Trump labeled Massie a “moron” as the congressman successfully pushed for the public release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump also campaigned against Massie over his votes against the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
Massie acknowledged the heavy financial influence of his opposition during his concession speech, joking to supporters that he could not reach Gallrein in Tel Aviv to congratulate him on the victory.
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