By McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern · May 17, 2026 U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, left, stumps for U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie ahead of his upcoming Kentucky primary. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) SHELBYVILLE — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, whose tight race against a Trump-endors ed candidate has become one of the most closely watched in the country, made his final pitches to voters this weekend, stopping in Shelbyville on Friday afternoon with ally U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican.  The primary election is Tuesday.    Boebert, was one of a few House Republicans to join Massie in supporting his discharge petition to release the federal investigation files into the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. They both co-chair the Congressional Second Amendment Caucus.  Boebert joined Massie for other stops throughout Friday and Saturday, including an afternoon rally in Florence in Northern Kentucky. Others slated to attend the rally were U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and U.S. Reps. Warren Davidson, Dana Rohrabacher and Victoria Spartz.  Boebert told the crowd gathered Friday inside the Shelby County coffee shop that Massie “has stood by my side and has stood up for you every single day in Congress.” She also said that it won’t be hard for Republican voters to support Massie and Republican President Donald Trump — who is backing Gallrein, of Shelby County, against the seven-term congressman.  “I am a supporter of President Trump. President Trump has done amazing things,” Boebert said. “This is not me saying, ‘I’m not standing with the president,’ and Thomas Massie has never said that either.”  Trump vowed to oust Massie from Congress last year for a number of issues, like leading the charge on the Epstein files and voting against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Massie, known as a fiscal hawk, said he did so because the legislation would “significantly increase U.S. budget deficits in the near term, negatively impacting all Americans through sustained inflation and high interest rates.”  The president lashed out at Paul and Boebert in a couple of posts on Truth Social Saturday evening after they stumped for Massie in Kentucky. Trump asked if there is “anyone interested in running against Weak Minded Lauren Boebert” in Colorado after she campaigned “for the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” No Republican challengers filed against Boebert this election cycle. Speaking to the voters on Friday, Massie spoke about a couple of other pieces of legislation he’s worked on in the last few months, including getting policies to allow meat products to be sold directly by farmers to consumers in the Farm Bill and the House passing a bill of his this week to prevent false denials performed by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System when an American attempts to buy a firearm. Massie also added that Dan Ison, the local Republican judge-executive who leads Shelby County, recently told him he would endorse Massie in the primary.  As for questions about his voting record, Massie argued that negotiations on legislation begin when one person says no, “and if nobody says no, then you get the whole steaming pile of crap, and that’s the way it is.”  “I will always vote the way I think you all would best be served,” Massie continued. “I don’t give my voting card to the Freedom Caucus. I don’t give my voting card to the speaker of the House. I don’t give my voting card to the president, because it’s not my voting card to give — it belongs to you all.”  On the other hand, Gallrein has repeatedly vowed to back Trump at every turn. On Thursday, Gallrein was in Simpsonville to tout an endorsement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Gallrein took a few questions from the media at Purnell Sausage Company, which is known for its “Old Folks” country sausage brand.  Ed Gallrein, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, points while speaking to reporters in Simpsonville. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) When asked how he’d handle a disagreement with Trump, Gallrein said that most voters in the 4th Congressional District have previously voted for the president, which he takes as a sign that “they support our president, 1000%.”  “He’ll take my call. I’ll be able to have a conversation with him,” Gallrein continued. “I do not lack for courage. Rest assured, I’ll have a relationship with the president so he will let me speak my mind, and I’ll do that for these folks in these 21 counties, and for our party and for our nation.”  Asked where he breaks with Trump, Gallrein said they would talk about that “if and when they come up.”  “But right now on the issues, I want to tell you where I’m at — I’m 100% behind the president, what he’s doing to turn our nation around,” Gallrein said.  He scheduled to appear with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Monday at an event in Hebron hosted by America First Works. Recent polling suggests the race has tightened ahead of Election Day, with one independent poll from last week putting Gallrein slightly ahead. Barr and Cameron continue to duke it out Meanwhile, another set of Kentucky Republicans have been traveling the state in hopes of securing their party’s nomination in the U.S. Senate race — and both have traveled to Northern Kentucky, which is part of the 4th Congressional District.  U.S. Rep. Andy Barr attended a Friday afternoon rally in Newport in Campbell County hosted by businessman Bill Butler. Local Republican officials and state lawmakers, including Sen. Chris McDaniel and Reps. Mike Clines and Stephanie Dietz, were scheduled to attend. Barr is set to have a Monday night rally in Lexington featuring a phone call from Trump, who endorsed the congressman earlier this month.  Former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who has been attempting to carve out a lane with Liberty Republicans, had stops in Union, Covington and Newport on Saturday as part of his “Kentucky First” tour.  The post Massie, Gallrein and more candidates make final pleas to Kentucky voters ahead of primary appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less