Rep. Thomas Massie is keeping his options open after a bruising primary defeat. The Kentucky Republican filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Monday for a 2028 House campaign, though he stopped short of committing to that race or any other.
"I haven't made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run," Massie wrote on social media, signaling that a presidential bid remains a possibility. During a televised interview the day before, he declined to rule out challenging for the White House in four years. "I will not rule out anything, and right now I'm not going to rule in anything," he told NBC's "Meet the Press."
The filing itself is a procedural move that gives Massie flexibility. It permits him to raise funds for "political operations" while holding his current office and positions himself to run for any federal position without filing separately later.
Massie's announcement comes one week after Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, soundly defeated him in the primary for Massie's own House seat. The loss marked a stunning rebuke for a congressman who had held the office since 2012. Trump had personally traveled to Massie's district in March to campaign for Gallrein, calling Massie a "disaster." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also appeared at an event supporting Gallrein ahead of the primary.
The tension between Trump and Massie stems from several clashes. Massie has opposed military interventions in Iran, a position at odds with Trump's foreign policy instincts. He also objected to what Trump called his "big, beautiful bill," a spending package Massie believed added unnecessarily to the deficit. More recently, Massie partnered with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to pass legislation requiring the Justice Department to release files from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Despite the setback, Massie suggested he intends to remain active in politics and policy. "I'll take some time and decide what's next, but I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape," he said. "Maybe it's from the outside. I've been exposing what's going on in Washington, D.C., for years, and I'll keep doing it."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Filing papers is easier than rebuilding credibility with Trump, but Massie's refusal to close any doors tells you he's not done fighting yet."
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