Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, began a primary challenge to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) last year with President Donald Trump’s endorsement and the promised support of Trump-aligned super PACs.
In the past, that’s been enough to eliminate Trump critics from the GOP. Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) and Tom Rice (R-S.C.) all lost primaries to Trump-backed candidates after they voted to impeach Trump at the end of his first term.
But with a month to go before the primary, it’s not clear if being the president’s man is enough for Gallrein to win. Two polls released this week show Massie has a shot at becoming the rare Republican to face down Trump’s political wrath and survive.
A poll released Thursday by Quantus Insights has Massie leading with 46.8% support to 37.7% for Gallrein. Another survey, by Big Data Poll, found 52.4% of voters in the district leaning toward voting for Massie, compared to 47.6% leaning Gallrein.
Massie, for his part, is acting increasingly confident, challenging Gallrein to a debate he believes will expose his opponent. Gallrein has yet to accept the invitation.
