MASSIEFLIX

Thomas Massie calls his primary 'a national referendum'

Apr 1, 2026 · 11:00 2026-primarytrumpkentucky

NBC News profile on the eve of the 2026 Kentucky primary: Massie frames the race as a national referendum on what's left of the constitutional-republic wing of the GOP.

Original by NBC News on YouTube ↗ · Is this yours? Claim credit →

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  1. INFLUENCE OVER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS ABOUT TO FACE ANOTHER SET OF KEY TESTS. LOUISIANA SENATOR BILL CASSIDY IN
  2. KENTUCKY, CONGRESSMAN THOMAS SIE BOTH FACE TRUMP BACKED PRIMARY CHALLENGERS IN THE COMING DAYS. THEY'RE THE LATEST
  3. ARGETS IN THE PRESIDENT'S EFFORT THIS CYCLE TO OUST INCUMBENT MEMBERS OF HIS OWN PARTY THAT HE'S DEEMED INSUFFICIENTLY SUPPORTIVE OF
  4. HIS AGENDA. MOST RECENTLY, IN DIANA, FIVE OUT OF SEVEN REPUBLICANS WHO HAD OPPOSED THE PRESIDENT'S REDISTRICTING PUSH
  5. WERE DEFEATED IN THEIR PRIMARIES. LOUISIANA REPUBLICAN SENATOR BILL CASSIDY ORIGINALLY DREW PRESIDENT TRUMP'S IRE AS
  6. ONE OF THE FEW REPUBLICAN SENATORS WHO VOTED TO CONVICT HIM DURING HIS IMPEACHMENT RIAL. AFTER THE JANUARY 6TH
  7. RIOT, CASSIDY FACES TWO CHALLENGERS IN TOMORROW'S PRIMARY RACE STATE TREASURER JOHN FLEMING AND CONGRESSWOMAN
  8. JULIA LETLOW, WHO HAS DONALD TRUMP'S ENDORSEMENT, A FACT SHE'S TOUTED HEAVILY IN CAMPAIGN ADS.
  9. >> CASSIDY AND FLEMING NEVER TRUMPERS WILL NEVER, EVER VOTE FOR. >> I'M THRILLED TO GIVE MY
  10. COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT O YOUR NEXT UNITED STATES ENATOR FROM LOUISIANA, JULIA LETLOW.
  11. >> WELL, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS BACKING LETLOW, A TRUMP OLITICAL ADVISER RECENTLY TOLD NBC NEWS. THE PRESIDENT AND HIS
  12. ADVISORS ARE MORE FOCUSED ON DEFEATING KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE. THAT PRIMARY IS COMING UP ON TUESDAY, WITH
  13. MASSIE FACING A CHALLENGE FROM HIS TRUMP BACKED OPPONENT, ALLAN MASSIE. SPOKE TO MY COLLEAGUE JULIE TSIRKIN ABOUT
  14. WHY HE THINKS HIS RACE IS A REFERENDUM FOR HIS PARTY. >> I VOTE WITH THE PARTY 90% OF THE TIME, BUT THERE'S 10% OF
  15. THE TIME WHERE I THINK MY CONSTITUENTS ARE BETTER SERVED BY A DIFFERENT VOTE IF MORE PEOPLE WOULD SPEAK UP. AND I THINK THAT IS YOU'RE GETTING TO
  16. THE THE NUB OF WHY THEY'RE ATTACKING ME AND WHY THIS IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE RACE IN THE HISTORY OF CONGRESS IONAL PRIMARIES. IT'S
  17. BECAUSE THEY WANT EVERYBODY ELSE TO GO ALONG TO GET ALONG. AND IF THEY LET ONE GUY COME UP HERE AND VOTE HIS CONSCIENCE AND VOTE THE WAY HE CAMPAIGNED
  18. AND VOTE FOR HIS CONSTITUENTS INSTEAD OF RUBBER STAMPING THE PARTY MENU THAT DAY, THEN THERE MIGHT BE OTHERS WHO ARE
  19. NCOURAGED TO DO THAT. AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M FIGHTING SO HARD. THIS IS A FIGHT WORTH WINNING. IT'S A NATIONAL REFERENDUM. THEY'LL BE INTERNATIONAL
  20. CAMERAS AT MY ELECTION DAY VICTORY PARTY BECAUSE IT HAS RAMIFICATIONS.
  21. >> CONGRESSMAN MASSIE'S RACE IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL KEY PRIMARY RACES WE WILL BE WATCHING ON TUESDAY. JOINING ME NOW IS THE
  22. PANEL KADIA GOBA, POLITICS REPORTER FOR NOTICE. CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND PRESIDENT OF SOLIDARITY
  23. STRATEGIES, AND REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST MATT GORMAN. HE IS ALSO AN NBC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR BEING
  24. HERE. AS WE ARE ABOUT TO HEAD INTO AN EXCITING SERIES OF PRIMARY RACES STARTING WITH SATURDAY NIGHT. K/D, LET ME
  25. START WITH YOU ON THIS CASSIDY RACE. HOW MUCH JEOPARDY IS HE IN? COULD JULIA LETLOW PULL OFF A WIN, OR IS THIS GOING TO GO
  26. TO A RUNOFF? HOW DO YOU SEE IT? >> YEAH. YOU KNOW, POLLING A MONTH AGO SUGGESTED THAT HE WASN'T DOING WELL. CASSIDY WAS
  27. ABOUT A FEW POINTS UNDER LUDLOW AS AS WELL AS FLEMING, HE'S DOING HE'S POLLING UNDER THEM.
  28. SO IT'LL BE INTERESTING. BUT AT HE SAME TIME, THERE'S ABOUT 22% OF VOTERS WHO ARE UNDECIDED.
  29. SO IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHERE THAT 22% FALLS, RIGHT?
  30. LIKE HAS THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION AROUND GAS PRICES IMPACTED SOME OF THEIR DECISION? ARE THEY GOING THIS IS
  31. OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE A VOTE FOR THE PRESIDENT OR AGAINST HE PRESIDENT, I THINK, AND IT WILL BE BETWEEN HIS ENDORSED
  32. CANDIDATE AND WHETHER OR NOT CASSIDY HAS A CHANCE. >> YEAH. AND WE'RE SEEING A SIMILAR DYNAMIC PLAY OUT WITH
  33. E RACE FOR THOMAS MASSIE SEAT. HE SAYS HE'S VOTED WITH REPUBLICANS 90% OF THE TIME. BUT BOY, IT'S HARD TO THINK OF
  34. A REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN WHO'S BEEN MORE OUTSPOKEN AND BROKEN WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP ON MORE ISSUES PUBLICLY, THE EPSTEIN
  35. FILES VOTING AGAINST THE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL. MATT, HOW DO YOU SEE THAT RACE PLAYING OUT WITH GORANI? >> YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK I
  36. THINK MASSIE'S IN A LOT OF TROUBLE. YOU CAN'T AT ONE MINUTE SAY ACCUSE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OF BEING, QUOTE, THE EPSTEIN ADMINISTRATION, AS THOMAS MASSIE HAS DONE. AND
  37. THEN THE NEXT BREATH BRAG HOW MUCH YOU VOTE WITH WITH DONALD TRUMP. I THINK IT'S A LITTLE DISINGENUOUS. BUT LOOK, I THINK, YOU KNOW, MASSIE HAD AN
  38. ADVANTAGE TO START RYAN'S. COME ON. I THINK, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BIG PRIMARY IN KENTUCKY BECAUSE YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE
  39. AS MUCH OF A COMPETITIVE SENATE RACE DRIVING A TON OF TURNOUT, ESPECIALLY IN MASSIE'S DISTRICT. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, MASSIE IS
  40. GOING TO BE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE. NOW, WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT IS IF HE GOES DOWN, WHAT DOES HE DO FOR THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, FIVE
  41. MONTHS OR SO. THEY STILL ESSENTIALLY NEED HIS PRESENCE IN CONGRESS. >> YEAH, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE WATCHING FOR, CHUCK? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S
  42. NOTHING LIKE THE SMELL OF REPUBLICANS FIGHTING EACH OTHER IN THE AFTERNOON HERE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AS DEMOCRATS LOVE THAT. LET ME EXPLAIN. WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT EVERY
  43. DOLLAR THAT'S SPENT IN THIS PRIMARY IN KENTUCKY OR IN A PRIMARY IN LOUISIANA, WHERE THESE FOLKS DON'T HAVE TO BE SPENDING MONEY AGAINST EACH OTHER, THEY COULD BE SPENDING
  44. ON BEATING DEMOCRATS. SO IT'S A GOOD THING FOR THE DEMOCRATS. THE NEXT POINT IS THIS MASSIE THING HAS BECOME THE MOST EXPENSIVE PRIMARY IN THE HISTORY OF KENTUCKY. AND THE
  45. LAST THING IN LOUISIANA, WE SHOULD REMIND EVERYBODY IS THAT IT'S A TOP TWO SYSTEM. THERE'S A CHANCE THAT THE INCUMBENT DOES NOT EVEN MAKE THE RUNOFF. RIGHT. THERE'S A LOT OF
  46. CRAZINESS GOING ON RIGHT NOW. >> WHAT ABOUT THAT POINT ABOUT HE DOLLARS AND CENTS OF THIS MAN AND THE CONCERN? AND I'VE SPOKEN TO SOME REPUBLICANS WHO
  47. SAY WE ARE HAVING TO PUT MONEY INTO RACES THAT WE DON'T. >> 35 MILLION IN INDIANA. >> WELL, MASS VOTES. SO WE'RE SSENTIALLY PUTTING MONEY TO DEFEAT DEFEATED DEMOCRAT. IT'S
  48. A PRETTY BIG 10%. YOU JUST MENTIONED IT THERE. I MEAN PROCEDURAL VOTES. CONGRATULATIONS. SO AGAIN WE CAN DEFEAT THOMAS MASSIE THERE. I THINK THE OTHER PART IS, YOU
  49. KNOW CHUCK DOES MAKE A POINT ON THIS. YOU KNOW, THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT KASEY DOES NOT MAKE THE RUNOFF. I MEAN FLEMING
  50. HAS COME ON STRONG. LETLOW STRUGGLED TO START HER CAMPAIGN BUT HAS ESCALATED. AND AGAIN, FLEMING IS A FORMER CONGRESSMAN. AND OF ITSELF, HE'S NOT A
  51. NOBODY. HE'S HE ACTUALLY SERVED IN THE SEAT MIKE JOHNSON TOOK OVER FOR. SO THAT IS SOMETHING TO WATCH VERY CLOSELY. A LETLOW VERSUS FLEMING RUNOFF IS
  52. CERTAINLY NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. WHERE CASSIDY. AGAIN, NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. >> LOOK, THERE'S SOME REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT HIS IS A SATURDAY ELECTION. IT'S A REPUBLICAN PRIMARY.
  53. THERE'S ONE PLACE DONALD TRUMP IS STILL A SUPERSTAR AND THAT'S IN A REPUBLICAN LOW TURNOUT PRIMARY. THAT MEANS THESE FOLKS LOVE DONALD TRUMP. THAT'S WHY
  54. IT'S NOT TOO GOOD FOR CASSIDY. >> K/D LET'S TALK ABOUT GEORGIA. A LOT TO TALK ABOUT THERE. WE'VE GOT THE SENATE RACE THERE.
  55. BRIAN KEMP, THE GOVERNOR SUPPORTING DEREK DOOLEY. HE'S THE FORMER FOOTBALL COACH WHO'S FACING OFF AGAINST TWO MEMBERS
  56. OF CONGRESS, THE RACE TO TRY TO UNSEAT JON OSSOFF, THE DEMOCRAT HERE. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE WATCHING FOR?
  57. >> OBVIOUSLY, WHO IS THE NEXT CANDIDATE TO RUN AGAINST OSSOFF? LIKE, YOU KNOW, MANY PEOPLE
  58. HAVE KIND OF POSITIONED
  59. THEMSELVES AS. YOU KNOW, SORRY.
  60. DOOLEY, BACKED BY THE GOVERNOR, RIGHT, IS A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
  61. FAVORING DOOLEY. YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE
  62. WHERE COLLINS PULLS OFF. AND OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF
  63. PEOPLE I TALKED TO WANT TO SEE A COLLINS RUN AGAINST OSSOFF, CLEARLY. BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM
  64. LIKE IT MIGHT. IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF IT GOES THAT WAY. IT'S NOT CLEAR THAT IT WILL. BUT I'M HEARING A LOT
  65. OF PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO LOOK AT HOW THIS GENERAL ELECTION
  66. MIGHT FACE OFF. AND I THINK MORE RESOURCES ARE GOING TO DOOLEY AT THIS POINT. >> AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME
  67. SOUND. LET'S LISTEN TO BRIAN KEMP AND DOOLEY TALKING ABOUT HIS RACE.
  68. >> IT'S TIME WE GOT SEND PEOPLE UP TO DC WITH SOME COMMON SENSE THAT REPRESENT OUR VALUES. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT I'M
  69. TELLING VOTERS IS GOING UP THERE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, AND THAT'S TO WORK WITH OTHERS TO DELIVER RESULTS. THAT'S WHAT HAS BEEN FAILING UP IN
  70. WASHINGTON, DC, AND THAT'S WHY WE NEED A POLITICAL OUTSIDER. >> I HAVE A VERY STRONG BELIEF THAT'S GOING TO TAKE A POLITICAL OUTSIDER TO BEAT JON
  71. OSSOFF IN THIS RACE, JUST LIKE DAVE MCCORMICK DID IN PENNSYLVANIA. BERNIE MARINO DID IN OHIO. TENNESSEE HE DID IN MONTANA. THAT'S WHY WE'RE
  72. WORKING SO HARD FOR DEREK. >> MATT, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS? I MEAN, K/D HAS LAID OUT
  73. HE STAKES. I MEAN, HOW DO YOU SEE THIS PLAYING OUT? IS THIS GOING TO GO TO A RUNOFF? >> I THINK IT'S VERY LIKELY TO
  74. GO TO A RUNOFF. THE FIGHT IS BETWEEN, I THINK, BUDDY CARTER OR DEREK DOOLEY. DEREK DOOLEY STRUGGLED FOR A TIME. HE HAD THE KEMP MACHINE BEHIND HIM.
  75. THERE IS A THOUGHT THAT IF HE CAN GET TO A RUNOFF, THAT'S WHERE IT ACTUALLY CAN MOBILIZE AND AND OVERTAKE COLLINS A LITTLE BIT. BUT I THINK THE
  76. QUESTION IS, CAN HE GET TO THAT SECOND POSITION? >> DEMOCRATS ARE PRETTY CONFIDENT IN JON OSSOFF RIGHT NOW, CHUCK. AND YET THE
  77. GOVERNOR CLEARLY PUTTING ALL OF HIS POLITICAL CAPITAL BEHIND HIS CANDIDATE. AND ONCE THIS GOES TO A GENERAL ELECTION, YOU
  78. ANTICIPATE WE'LL SEE THE SAME. >> THE NUMBER ONE GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISER IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR THE LAST 18 MONTHS HAVE BEEN JON OSSOFF. THAT MEANS FOLKS HAVE BEEN GIVING
  79. HIM MONEY $5, $10, $20 AT A TIME. HE'S RAISED AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF MONEY. AND AS AN INCUMBENT, THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO. GOING BACK TO THIS
  80. REPUBLICAN RUNOFF. I'LL GO BACK TO MY PREVIOUS STATEMENT OF DONALD TRUMP IS STILL VERY POPULAR IN THIS. AND IN A REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO HAVE THESE OUT OF THE
  81. RIGHT VOTERS AND IN A RUNOFF, IF IT GOES THAT FAR, IT'S JUST LIKE TEXAS. IT'S EVEN MORE OF THE RIGHT OF THE RIGHT. REGULAR FOLKS DON'T VOTE ON A TURNOUT.
  82. >> WHAT'S SO. >> FASCINATING ABOUT GEORGIA, MATT, ARE THE DYNAMICS BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND SOME OF THESE GEORGIA REPUBLICANS AND THE FACT THAT THAT IS ADDING
  83. THIS EXTRA LAYER TO SO MANY OF THESE RACES, INCLUDING THE GUBERNATORIAL. >> YEAH. I MEAN, LOOK, I THINK EMP AND TRUMP HAVE HAVE BURIED
  84. THE HATCHET OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST WO YEARS. >> RAFFENSPERGER. >> RAFFENSPERGER IS A DIFFERENT CASE, I THINK. AND AGAIN, AGAIN,
  85. WE'LL SEE. I BELIEVE HE'S RUNNING AS WELL, NOT FOR NOT FOR SENATE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT FROM OTHER POSITIONS. SO WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES. YOU KNOW, AGAIN,
  86. I THINK THIS IS A RACE THAT REPUBLICANS RECOGNIZE THEIR THE UNDERDOG GOING INTO THE GENERAL ELECTION, BUT ARE HOPEFUL MAYBE THEY CAN MAKE IT A RACE AND SEE
  87. WHAT HAPPENS. >> WATCH THE SUBURBS AROUND ATLANTA, WATCH THE DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN TURNOUT, SEE WHAT HE TURNOUT LOOKS LIKE COMPARED TO EACH OTHER. THOSE SUBURBS
  88. USED TO BE RUBY RED. THEY'VE TURNED PURPLE AND NOW LEANING VERY MUCH BLUE. THAT'S WHERE THIS ELECTION IS WON AND LOST IN NOVEMBER. >> ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO
  89. WATCH IT ALL CLOSELY. THANK YOU ALL FOR A GREAT FRIDAY CONVERSATION. K/D CHUCK AND MATT, TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR SPECIAL COVERAGE OF THE
  90. LOUISIANA MIDTERM PRIMARIES WITH THE GREAT STEVE KORNACKI AT THE BIG BOARD, STARTING AT 9 P.M. EASTERN ON NBC NEWS.COM.
  91. AND THEN YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS. ON TUESDAY, I'LL BE JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES, HALLIE JACKSON, STEVE KORNACKI, AND
  92. OUR TEAM OF REPORTERS FOR SPECIAL PRIMARY COVERAGE. AS THE RESULTS COME IN, MATT GORMAN IS GOI