Massie talks about his 'biggest crime,' future political plans on 'Meet the Press'

Taylor Six, Lexington Herald-Leader on May 24, 2026

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After losing his bid for reelection last week, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie said his “biggest crime” was showing that bipartisan work can be done in modern American politics.

In a moment of reflection on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning, the seven-term Republican said he thought he lost the GOP primary Tuesday because he voted “people over party.”

In doing so, Massie said he helped expose “cronyism” and how politicians were “bankrupting the country” in efforts to divide the voters.

“I think the biggest crime I committed against the swamp was showing the American people that someone on the right could join someone on the left and get something done,” Massie said. “That’s when they decided I needed to be taken out.”

He lost his reelection bid for his 4th District Congressional seat, which spans across Northern Kentucky, to Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein in what was the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.

“They couldn’t buy my vote in 14 years, so they bought this seat,” Massie said. “This was the most expensive race in congressional primary history, and at the end of this race we were spending more per day — my side and the opposing side — than most entire congressional races are spending the entire cycle.”

Despite his loss, it’s unclear whether Massie intends to give up politics altogether.

Massie would not confirm or deny whether he would remain in politics — either as a candidate for president in 2028, or as a county commissioner in his hometown.

“I will not rule out anything, and right now I’m not going to rule in anything,” Massie said.

Instead, Massie said he was going to take time to decide what is next, while reflecting on the work he’s done for more than a decade.

“But I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape,” Massie said. “Maybe it’s from the outside. I’ve been exposing what’s going on in Washington, D.C., for years, and I’ll keep doing it.”

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