{"id":2608502,"date":"2026-05-30T07:33:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thomas-massie-could-run-for-president\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T07:36:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:36:53","slug":"thomas-massie-could-run-for-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thomas-massie-could-run-for-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas Massie could run for president"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthomas-massie-could-run-for-president%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2608502&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has filed paperwork for a potential 2028 bid after losing his recent primary,raising questions about which office he might pursue.With Iran-related tensions and renewed interest in libertarian-style figures from the Ron Paul tradition, the article argues Massie may be able to revive that \u201clane\u201d in the Republican primaries-especially since his more radical, Ron Paul-like energy appears stronger than it has for other potential candidates.<\/p>\n<p>It contrasts Massie with Sen. Rand Paul, who was expected to inherit the Ron Paul lane but struggled to match the momentum of his father\u2019s earlier campaigns. While massie still likely faces limits in GOP presidential voting due to his stances on Israel and Trump, the piece suggests he could use his national following and appeal to younger Republicans as a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >protest-focused candidate-challenging frontrunners<\/a> on war policy, government spending, and the national debt.<\/p>\n<p>The article also notes that Massie\u2019s loss may reflect tensions between older conservative primary voters in Kentucky and his younger libertarian audience, but that those same dynamics could work differently in a presidential campaign. It concludes that Massie and Rand Paul probably can\u2019t both run successfully, yet they are close allies, and Massie could either seek another office or use defeat to build a national platform-potentially positioning himself to matter to the party even if he doesn\u2019t win.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thomas-massie\/\">Thomas Massie<\/a> (R-KY) raised eyebrows when, fresh off his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/restoring-america\/patriotism-unity\/4579731\/why-thomas-massie-lost\/\">recent primary defeat<\/a>, he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4581266\/thomas-massie-files-2028-unsure-house-president\/\">filed candidacy paperwork<\/a> for 2028, though he is unsure for which office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Could Massie run for president? As soon as he conceded his loss to President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s favored candidate, Ed Gallrein, it was clear that his more zealous supporters in the election-night crowd wanted him to do exactly that.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4587814\/jill-biden-kamala-harris-prosecutor-mode-biden-endorsement\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jill Biden reveals Kamala Harris went into \u2018prosecutor mode\u2019 to secure rapid Biden endorsement<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4585556\/whitmer-rules-out-2028-white-house-bid\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Whitmer rules out 2028 White House bid<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4577914\/read-full-dnc-release-2024-campaign-autopsy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>READ IN FULL: DNC releases 2024 campaign autopsy<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Iran war has potentially reopened the Ron Paul lane in the 2028 Republican primaries. The 12-term former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\">Texas<\/a> congressman had some strong showings in the early states in 2008 and 2012, with top-three finishes in both <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iowa\/\">Iowa<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-hampshire\/\">New Hampshire<\/a> during his second GOP bid, even if he fizzled down the stretch. Paul drew big, young crowds on the campaign trail, considerable media coverage, and respectable raw national vote totals.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That lane was expected to be filled in 2028, if at all, by Paul\u2019s son, Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rand-paul\/\">Rand Paul<\/a> (R-KY). The younger Paul has been <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4498339\/rand-paul-presidential-campaign-2028\/\">testing the waters <\/a>for a second presidential campaign. He supported Massie, his fellow Kentuckian, in the May 19 primary and has been a Tea Party success story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when the senator first ran for president in 2016, he was unable to recapture the enthusiasm that surrounded his father\u2019s Republican candidacies. The \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/08\/10\/magazine\/has-the-libertarian-moment-finally-arrived.html\">libertarian moment<\/a>\u201d that gave the younger Paul reason to hope he could actually win the GOP nomination (his father was the 1988 Libertarian Party presidential nominee) peaked around 2014. Trump absorbed a lot of the populist energy, while Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ted-cruz\/\">Ted Cruz <\/a>(R-TX) captured many small-government Tea Party conservatives. The end result was disappointing for Paul, who dropped out after Iowa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paul, who has since been reelected to the Senate twice, didn\u2019t seem as eager as his father to run a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rand-paul-sounds-like-hes-running-for-president\/\" title=\"... sounds like he&#039;s running for ...\">movement-building campaign<\/a> that was unlikely to culminate in a stint behind the Resolute Desk. Massie does have more of the Ron Paul energy around him at the moment, and might be more willing to be a gadfly in the elder Paul\u2019s tradition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Massie also has a national following. Even with Trump deeply invested in the race against him and a considerable amount of outside money spent to dislodge him, he won a much higher percentage of the vote than recently defeated Sens. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX) and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-cassidy\/\">Bill Cassidy<\/a> (R-LA). But he still lost.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the reasons for Massie\u2019s defeat included the inherent tensions between older primary voters in his more conventionally conservative Kentucky congressional district and his younger, more radically libertarian national following. Ron Paul had to deal with this himself while running for reelection to Congress from Texas, but the media environment was radically different then and the party had already started turning against George W. Bush by the 2008 presidential primaries. Bush, unlike Trump, also generally ignored his intraparty critics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the things that were a liability for Massie in a House primary could potentially be an asset in a protest presidential candidacy. Massie <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/articles\/ed-gallrein-boomers-thank-defeating-143307000.html\">posted strong numbers<\/a> with younger Republicans, who might be more helpful as grassroots muscle behind a national campaign than in outvoting conservatives over age 60 in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/massachusetts-gop-divided-over-choice-of-gubernatorial-nominee-ahead-of-tuesdays-primary\/\" title=\"Massachusetts ... Divided Over Choice of Gubernatorial Nominee Ahead of Tuesday...s Primary\">midterm primary election<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Massie\u2019s positioning on Israel and Trump would still probably put a ceiling on how well he could do in the Republican presidential primaries. But he could press Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\">JD Vance<\/a>, who reportedly had misgivings about the Iran war, on foreign policy and challenge pretty much anyone else who could conceivably run for the 2028 nomination on government spending and the national debt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ron Paul presidential campaigns led to the election of a handful of lawmakers like Massie and Rand Paul in the first place. It\u2019s possible that Massie could help replenish their ranks by seeking a different office, energizing young libertarian activists in the GOP.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is unlikely that there is room for both Massie and Rand Paul to run. The two men appeal to similar voters and donors. But they are also friends and close political allies, so they would probably work it out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460164\/trump-endorsement-tracker-gop-2026-election-primaries\/\"><strong>TRUMP ENDORSEMENT TRACKER: HERE\u2019S WHO THE PRESIDENT HAS PICKED IN GOP MIDTERM ELECTION PRIMARIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Massie could run for another office or, less likely, leave electoral politics altogether. But even in defeat, the 14-year congressman has demonstrated he knows how to get attention. Perhaps after the midterm elections, a subset of the party will be ready to move on from Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lose a congressional seat, gain a national platform. It\u2019s a trade-off Massie could plausibly make.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Thomas Massie filed 2028 paperwork after his primary loss, unsure of the office<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2608503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26140156154545.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6571,5894,33196,80498],"class_list":["post-2608502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-elections","tag-politics","tag-thomas-massie","tag-u-s-president"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26140156154545.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608502"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2608506,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608502\/revisions\/2608506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}