Defense Secretary Hegseth Flies to Kentucky to Stump Against Massie in Most Expensive U.S. House Primary Ever

HEBRON, Ky. — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth landed in northern Kentucky on Monday afternoon to headline a rally for Ed Gallrein, the former Navy SEAL trying to oust Rep. Thomas Massie in Tuesday's Republican primary — an extraordinary intervention by a sitting Pentagon chief in a domestic election and one that ethics watchdogs say almost certainly violates the Hatch Act.

The 1 p.m. event at 2826 Terminal Drive, beside the DoubleTree by Hilton at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, was organized by America First Works, a tax-exempt advocacy arm of the Trump movement. "Secretary Hegseth's appearance has been thoroughly vetted and cleared by lawyers, including the Department of War Office of General Counsel, and does not violate the Hatch Act or any other applicable federal statute," Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell said in a statement defending the trip. Critics were not assuaged. The Project on Government Oversight, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and former Office of Special Counsel attorneys all said the appearance crosses the line because federal employees, including cabinet officers, are barred from engaging in partisan political activity while on duty or in their official capacity.

Massie, a libertarian-leaning conservative seeking his ninth term, has clashed openly with the Trump White House over the administration's handling of Justice Department files tied to deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, the president's escalating tariff regime, and Trump's decision to launch retaliatory strikes inside Iran in March without first seeking congressional authorization. "The president's losing sleep and tweeting about this race at 3 a.m.," Massie told WHAS-TV in Louisville. "That tells me I've got the lead."

The primary has become the most expensive U.S. House contest in American history. Federal Election Commission filings and ad-tracking data compiled by AdImpact show more than $25.6 million has been spent on television, radio, digital and direct mail since January, eclipsing the prior record of $25.2 million set in last year's Democratic primary for New York's 16th Congressional District. The bulk of the anti-Massie money has come from MAGA Inc. and the new Make America Greater PAC, which is funded by hedge-fund manager Robert Mercer and Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter.

The Massie race is the second front in Trump's vendetta campaign against Republicans he considers disloyal. On Saturday, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump after January 6 — was knocked out of his own primary, finishing third behind Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming. "Trump's vendettas deliver, but at what cost to the GOP?" CNN's Stephen Collinson wrote in an analysis Monday, noting that the president's net approval has slipped to a second-term low of negative 18.9 in the Silver Bulletin polling average even as he tightens his grip on the primary calendar. Polls close in Kentucky's 4th District at 6 p.m. local time Tuesday.