How Massie’s Kentucky primary may test Trump’s hold on the Republican Party

A fork in the road That principled conservatism is what appeals to Joshua Crider, who lives in Greenup, Kentucky, on the far eastern edge of Massie’s district. “Massie seems to me to be the same person he was six years ago — someone who wants to lower our national debt instead of adding to it,” Crider said. He voted for Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 but has soured on the president in his second term for failing to live up to the promises he made on the campaign trail. He said he’s voting for Massie over Gallrein to serve as a check on the president. “I feel Thomas Massie is exactly that. I feel like Trump’s endorsement of Ed is an endorsement to gain another ‘yes’ man,” Crider explained. For Belinda Taylor of Union, Kentucky, Trump’s endorsement is not enough to convince her to back Gallrein yet. “I’m a conservative Christian. I vote for borders, budgets, biology, babies and the Bible,” she said. The retired educator says she doesn’t know much about Trump’s pick and wants to study the issues of both candidates critically before making her choice. Though she’s voted for Massie in the past, she is wary of career politicians and is concerned he doesn’t support Israel, which is a sticking point for her. “I probably won’t know who I will vote for until I walk in the booth," she added. Kentucky has shifted redder and redder in recent years, as the Republican Party has peeled off disaffected Democrats and centrists. …