The Final Weekend Blitz

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to Hebron, Kentucky on Monday to campaign alongside Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein at an America First Works event, according to reporting by SAN News. A sitting Cabinet secretary burned taxpayer-funded time and political capital to knock off a sitting Republican congressman two days before a primary.

Trump spent Sunday posting on Truth Social calling Massie a "Weak and Pathetic RINO" and writing, "Vote the bum out on Tuesday," according to The Hill and Mediaite. He accused Massie of voting "in favor of the Transgender Mutilization of our Children" and "Men playing in Women's Sports" — claims that contrast sharply with Massie's consistent record of voting to shrink the federal government.

The Money Is Staggering

Both sides have now spent a combined $35 million on this race, making it the most expensive House primary in U.S. history, according to Reason and AdImpact data cited by SAN News.

Massie went on ABC News' This Week on Sunday and pointed directly at who's funding the other side: Miriam Adelson, Paul Singer, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and AIPAC. He said three billionaires from outside Kentucky funneled millions in to buy a congressional seat.

ABC News confirmed that groups connected to AIPAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition have spent heavily backing Gallrein. According to Massie's account on ABC, AIPAC alone dropped another $3 million into his race over the weekend.

A libertarian-leaning congressman who helped expose the Epstein files — working alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna — is being crushed by a coalition of Trump's political machine and major pro-Israel donor groups simultaneously. Those aren't natural allies.

Gallrein Is NOT Running a Real Campaign

Ed Gallrein's campaign is a ghost.

According to Reason's reporting by Liz Wolfe, Gallrein has skipped every debate and refused to answer basic questions about his own background. His entire operation is built on one thing — Trump's endorsement.

For a race costing donors and PACs tens of millions of dollars, the actual candidate at the center of it is functionally invisible. Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein has flagged questions about Gallrein's background that remain unanswered.

Voters in Kentucky's 4th District are being asked to fire a seven-term congressman and replace him with someone who won't even show up to debate.

The 'Scandal' That Isn't

Trump's allies, specifically Laura Loomer, have been plastering social media with accusations of a "hush money" payment involving Massie and a former girlfriend named Cynthia West.

According to Reason, Massie gave West between $5,000 and $10,000 to help her relocate to Washington, D.C. West got a job in Rep. Victoria Spartz's office, lost it, and filed a wrongful termination suit. The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights offered her $60,000 to settle — which she refused. Both Massie and Spartz deny any hush money arrangement.

Loomer is planning to release an interview with West.

What the Polls Show

Massie told ABC News Sunday, "You can tell that I'm ahead in the polls and they're desperate." He pointed to the frantic spending and Hegseth's visit as evidence of panic on the other side.

But a new independent poll of 86 Northern Kentucky voters found 48.3% backing Gallrein and 43.1% supporting Massie, with 7.6% undecided, according to Mediaite. An 86-person poll is a limited data point.

Sen. Rand Paul, Rep. Victoria Spartz, and Rep. Lauren Boebert all campaigned for Massie over the weekend. Boebert directly defied Trump's threat to pull her endorsement, posting on X that she was "proud to stand by my friend Thomas Massie."

Trump fired back calling Boebert "that dumb" for supporting Massie and threatened to withdraw his endorsement of her if "the right person came along," according to Reason.

Boebert did not back down.

What National Review Gets Wrong

National Review ran a piece titled "Thomas Massie Deserves to Lose," calling him a "conspiracy theorist." That's the establishment conservative case against Massie — that he's erratic, unreliable, and counterproductive.

But the same outlet isn't asking why the alternative is a candidate who won't debate, won't answer questions, and is propped up entirely by outside billionaires. If the standard is "effective governance," Gallrein hasn't proven he can do anything yet.

What This Means Tuesday

Kentucky Republicans walk into voting booths on Tuesday facing a real choice — not just about Massie versus Gallrein, but about what they want their party to actually be.

A president who commands loyalty, or a congressman who does his own math. Donor-fueled machine politics, or a seven-term incumbent who actually shows up and votes — even when it's inconvenient.

The most expensive House primary in history ends in 48 hours. The people paying for it don't live in Kentucky. The people voting in it do.