By Jeffrey A. Rendall
Soon-to-be unemployed opportunist Thomas Massie could try to channel Ron Paul in 2028
For the .0001 percent of conservatives who feel sorry for pathetic and steamrolled Rep. Thomas Massie these days after he was summarily ejected from a future in Congress by the voters of his own Bluegrass State district – in a primary no less — there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon for the poor schlep.
I admit that I never foresaw Massie’s defeat as potentially opening another career window for the Kentucky oddball, but in the ever-evolving world of American politics, there just might be a slot available for the electorally vanquished has-been somewhere.
How about running for the White House? Don’t laugh. It could happen. In an opinion piece titled, “Why Thomas Massie could run for president”, W. James Antle III wrote at the Washington Examiner recently:
“The Iran war has potentially reopened the Ron Paul lane in the 2028 Republican primaries. The 12-term former Texas congressman had some strong showings in the early states in 2008 and 2012, with top-three finishes in both Iowa and New Hampshire during his second GOP bid, even if he fizzled down the stretch. Paul drew big, young crowds on the campaign trail, considerable media coverage, and respectable raw national vote totals…
“Some of the things that were a liability for Massie in a House primary could potentially be an asset in a protest presidential candidacy. Massie posted strong numbers with younger Republicans, who might be more helpful as grassroots muscle behind a national campaign than in outvoting conservatives over age 60 in a midterm primary election…
“Massie could run for another office or, less likely, leave electoral politics altogether. But even in defeat, the 14-year congressman has demonstrated he knows how to get attention. Perhaps after the midterm elections, a subset of the party will be ready to move on from Trump. Lose a congressional seat, gain a national platform. It’s a trade-off Massie could plausibly make.”
Plausible yes, but probable? More like far-fetched. Massie could enjoy lasting status as a lark candidate if he tried the longshot stunt, though Antle’s argument is well-taken and the soon-to-be former congressman surely has a sufficiently big ego to attempt a Don Quixote-like guaranteed-to-be fruitless charge at political windmills.
I agree with the Washington Examiner writer that the “Ron Paul” lane in the still-amorphous 2028 GOP presidential field is completely open. For what it’s worth, that is. The world has markedly changed since the Texas congressman recreated his upstart presidential campaign in 2012. Libertarians haven’t gone away, of course, but there’s a lot less talk about completely and permanently separating from the Republican Party these days.
Senator Rand Paul has remained in (mostly) good standing with Trump adherents because the principled fiscal libertarian hasn’t yet definitively sunk any major Trump initiatives and can be counted on to vote with the Trump side on many of the populist president’s programs. And judicial and cabinet nominees. Just don’t beg Rand for support on overseas military adventures or deficit exploding Trump-friendly spending, and he’s right there with the rest of ‘em.
When it comes to fiscal sanity in 2026, Senator Rand is like a voice crying in the wilderness, so he’s regarded more like a pleasant pest than a real threat to the MAGA agenda. Father Ron Paul acquired a reputation as “Dr. No” because of his strict adherence to the Constitution and its enumerated powers. What could theoretically work as a Supreme Court justice isn’t as palatable as a politician who depends on preserving certain federal outlays to win votes.
He doesn’t elaborate on the subject all that much, but President Trump still appears to be fond of Rand Paul. The Kentucky junior senator seems like a hard person not to like, even if Rand occasionally joins establishment news shows to oppose certain elements of Trump’s portfolio.
That being said, Thomas Massie is no Rand – or Ron – Paul. A large part of Massie’s recent burst of fame stems from the congressman’s insistence on delving deeper and deeper and deeper into the fantastic and salacious Jeffrey Epstein thing, where everyone (except maybe for Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens and Democrats) is thoroughly sick of the matter.
Democrats desperately hope to use a gadfly Republican like Massie to keep the Epstein matter on life support. California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna in particular. Palling around with the political enemy is what got Massie defeated by his own voters, not his sticking up for victims of sexual abuse. Couldn’t Massie use his relationship with the establishment media to similarly go to bat for the sex trafficking victims of the Mexican cartels?
Seems to me Massie clings to the fame spotlight to pursue vendettas against Trump rather than further a legitimate cause. The Epstein case wouldn’t have staying power if it weren’t somehow connected to Trump, though you would think, with as many people as the Democrat and anti-Trump opposition had looking into it, that they would’ve found something by now?
Ron Paul built a movement that sprang up in response to the excesses of the Obama administration and took advantage of residual conservative anger directed at the Bush wing of the Republican Party. Trump incorporated a host of this type of voter into his MAGA coalition, even if he hasn’t always been true to Ron Paul’s libertarian goals and priorities.
In contrast to Paul, Thomas Massie doesn’t even have a unifying figure on the Democrat side to rail against. So, there’s only criticisms of Trump. And that’s not much of a basis for a Republican to mount a presidential campaign on, is it?
The Iran War angle will take care of itself, as well. Some conservatives continue to harbor reservations about Trump’s new foreign interventionism, but the President’s turn towards exercising American military strength hasn’t resulted in high casualty figures or significant long-term commitments. Any bombing and fighting is expensive, but the human cost has been as limited as it possibly could be this year.
It’s one thing to be against war; it’s quite another to advocate for allowing foreign enemies to stay in power just to avoid blowing them up thousands of miles away. Massie isn’t even viewed as one of the left’s leaders of the anti-war retro-guard. He doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
The differences between Massie and the Ron Paul campaigns are many. Ron Paul was formerly a member of the Libertarian Party before launching his Republican efforts. I don’t frankly know what Massie’s prior ideological connections were, but I don’t recall him running for president as a Libertarian Party nominee.
Massie gained fame through his political brand – if you can call it that – but didn’t actually stand out until he opted to pick public fights with Trump. Ron Paul stood alone for decades prior to mounting his Republican campaigns, and although he’d personally insist otherwise, likely didn’t ever count on winning the GOP nomination.
Further, Ron ran for president when there was a strong party establishment slate of contenders, led by John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012. I don’t know if Paul actually endorsed either man, though I don’t believe he left the party. Now, however, the establishment has been all-but obliterated – or flattened – by Trump and the MAGA movement.
Ron Paul attracted large crowds during his presidential runs, but their size paled in comparison to Trump’s MAGA rally audiences. And Ron Paul’s speeches were much closer to “standard” political-type pitches, whereas Trump could seemingly speak for hours without a great deal of prompting or preparation.
How could Massie hope to sustain enthusiasm and momentum for his effort without better political skills?
There’s also the charisma factor at play. Gentlemanly Ron Paul probably wouldn’t yell even if there was a fire, but his credible, straight-as-an-arrow persona aroused trust among his devotees. Part of Paul’s appeal back then was his ability to draw large audiences of young anti-establishment-type people who would just as likely be lulled to sleep at one of his gatherings as launch themselves into a mosh pit.
Ron Paul wasn’t like Bernie Sanders, though they attract a similar supporter demographic.
Granted I don’t believe I’ve ever heard Massie pontificate in front of a large event, but he doesn’t strike me as a guy who spontaneously builds a movement simply by showing up and reciting a canned speech. Where would Massie find momentum for a high office run?
Chances are high that Thomas Massie will end up like other Republican Trump-haters who endured embarrassing public rebukes and then quietly faded into the political sunset, never to be seen or heard from again. Liz Cheney can probably offer Massie counseling on what it’s like to take on everyone… and still lose. Massie for president? I don’t see it.
Jeff Rendall is editor and publisher of GolfintheUSA.com and has written about golf and politics for over a quarter of a century. A non-practicing attorney from California, he moved to the east coast three decades ago to pursue and combine his interests in all things American history and culture. Jeff has worked as an intern on Capitol Hill and in various capacities in grassroots organizing and conservative organizations and publications, including a nearly two-decade stint at ConservativeHQ.com. Column republishing or other inquiries: Rendall@msn.com .