Just say no (and then get voted out of office)

This week, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the most outspoken Republican critics of President Trump, just lost his primary to a candidate endorsed by Trump.

Just a few years ago, the same thing happened in Wyoming.

Liz Cheney needs no introduction. Her name is still considered an obscenity in some Wyoming towns, I’m pretty sure.

She made the mistake of voting to impeach Trump because she didn’t agree with how he handled losing the 2020 presidential election. I thought Wyoming voters would have appreciated someone standing up for what they believe in, even if it might get them voted out of office.

But there was an uproar in Wyoming. Trump endorsed Harriet Hageman — who was one Foster Friess away from becoming Wyoming’s governor — and Cheney lost in a landslide. The last we heard from Cheney, she was endorsing the Democratic candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

Now, whether you agree with Cheney, she didn’t do herself any favors by voting against a man who received more than 70% of the vote in Wyoming. I do find it ironic that her late father, whom Trump famously did not like, would probably be proud of the work Trump is doing in Iran.

Thomas Massie proved to be a popular figure in certain corners of the internet, fighting for the release of the Epstein Files and challenging the president over the Iran situation. The president wasn’t too keen on this, and he made sure Massie paid the price for questioning his authority.

But Massie was an interesting character. You couldn’t call him a RINO, because fiscal conservatism is his whole thing — unlike our current administration. He had the support of the Tea Party movement years ago. So instead of facts and logic, Trump found a way, attacked him personally, and the messaging — and the money — worked.

There was reportedly more than $30 million spent on this one race. That seems like a lot of money for an area with less than a million people.

The race wasn’t particularly close. Massie only received 45% of the vote. It just goes to show the internet is not a real place. Massie may have won a lot of favor with the online crowd, but hundreds of thousands of likes on a post does not translate into real world results.

Now, if we were to look at this vote in a black and white manner, you might jump to the conclusion that a vote against Massie was a vote for Epstein and a vote for endless war in the Middle East, but it’s more complicated than that.

I’m not going to try to analyze what was going on in Kentucky voters’ minds. Everyone has their own reason for voting for their favorite candidate. I just hope their reason wasn’t “because Trump said so.”

We’ve all got to pick our battles, our hills that we’re willing to die on. For Massie, questioning the war in Iran and fighting for the release of the Epstein Files were worth it. He stood up for what he believed in.

And Trump got what he wanted. Massie is out next year. Another rebellious Congressperson bites the dust, replaced by another yes man who won’t dare question anything Trump says or does.

Truly a win for all Americans.