HEBRON, Ky.—One day before voters in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District head to the polls to determine if incumbent Republican Rep. Thomas Massie is nominated to run for another term, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth campaigned for challenger Ed Gallrein, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Hosted by America First Works, a Trump-aligned nonprofit organization that advocates for the “America First” agenda, the rally was billed as a celebration of the “Great American Comeback.”

“I’m proud here to stand with Ed Gallrein, because he led warriors in combat,” Hegseth said at the gathering in Hebron.

“He led at the very highest levels of special operations. He served with distinction as a Navy SEAL, rose into leadership within the elite ranks of SEAL Team Six, one of the most demanding combat organizations on planet Earth,” Hegseth added.

Massie, an MIT-trained engineer by trade, has served in Congress since 2012. He has drawn the ire of Trump for not supporting the Iran war and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and for Massie’s involvement in a bipartisan move to force the Justice Department to release all files regarding the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump first opposed the bill before later signing it into law.

Hegseth repeatedly praised Trump and Gallrein in his speech, chastising Massie for not fully supporting the president.

“President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what war fighters do. They stand behind leaders and have their back,” Hegseth said.

“Too often, Thomas Massie has acted like his job is to stand apart from the movement that President Trump leads, instead of strengthening it. When President Trump needs backup, Massie wants to debate process,” Hegseth added.

Gallrein said in his remarks that military members “deserve a commander-in-chief who has their back and leaders they can trust. They have them in Donald Trump, and they have them in Pete Hegseth, don’t they?”

Defense secretaries have typically maintained a more apolitical public image.

Multiple Massie supporters questioned if Hegseth’s appearance to stump for Gallrein violated the Hatch Act.

That measure is a 1939 federal law that limits certain political activities of federal employees—and some state, Washington, and local government members—who work in connection with federally funded programs, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

“The law’s purposes are to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation,” according to the agency’s website.

Early in his address, Hegseth said,” I have to say up front, for the lawyers, that I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran here to support Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Epoch Times: “Secretary Hegseth is attending this event in his personal capacity. No taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his visit. His participation 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.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosts an enhanced honor cordon and meeting welcoming South Korean Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-Back to the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on May 11, 2026. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times)

Hegseth said that before he arrived at the America First Works event, he traveled to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. and awarded Purple Heart medals to soldiers.

Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District is one of the nation’s most closely watched Republican primaries in the 2026 election cycle.

The district stretches from the Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati across the Ohio River in northern Kentucky, and southward to the outskirts of Louisville.

The Cook Political Report rates the district as “solid” Republican. The primary winner will be heavily favored to win the general election in November.

Massie won the primary with 75.9 percent of the vote and the general election, where he ran unopposed, with 99.6 percent support in 2024. Trump won the district by 35 points that year.

The race has set records for the most money spent in U.S. House history. Federal Election Commission data, which include campaign ad spending and other costs, show that candidate campaigns and political parties have spent an estimated $35 million, according to Quiver Quantitative. According to AdImpact, more than $25 million has been spent on digital, radio, and television ads.

At a campaign rally in Florence, Kentucky, on May 16—where he was joined by Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)—Massie said that Trump and his backers in Washington want every Republican “to go along, to get along” and added that Gallrein has said he will fully support Trump.

In multiple interviews, Massie has said that he votes with Republicans 90 percent or 91 percent of the time.

“When I don’t vote that way, it’s when I think my constituents are better served by a different vote,” Massie said.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) speaks at a "People vs. Poison" rally against pesticides while the Supreme Court hears a pesticide liability case in Washington on April 27, 2026. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times)

Releasing the Epstein files “put me on the wrong side of the president for quite a while, but on the right side of my constituents who had been promised we would release the Epstein files,” Massie added.

In a May 17 Truth Social post, Trump called Massie a “third rate congressman” and said that he “must be thrown out of office.”

The president added that Massie is “the worst Republican congressman in history” and urged people in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District to vote for Gallrein.

Trump described Gallrein as a “brave combat veteran” who knows the wisdom and courage required to defend our country, support our military and veterans, and ensure peace through strength.

Hegseth had similar comments during his May 18 speech in northern Kentucky.

Gallrein served 30 years as a Navy SEAL officer and was awarded four Bronze Stars. He also graduated from the U.S. Army Ranger School and is classified as Army Ranger qualified.

“Warfighters understand mission, they understand teamwork, they understand loyalty,” Hegseth said.

President Donald Trump and Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein (R) at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Ky., on March 11, 2026. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times)

Gallrein, Hegseth added, is someone who “will stand behind leaders and have their back.”

Hegseth said that Massie’s record “speaks for itself.”

“Too much grandstanding, too few great votes, years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous, it’s not,” Hegseth said.

“Real courage means stepping up when the mission matters most, when we need that tough vote to beat left-wing lunatic Democrats the most. Real courage means understanding that this country is facing existential threats and deciding to be part of the solution instead of constantly trying to position yourself above the fight,” he added.

On May 17, Massie said on ABC News’ “This Week” that Hegseth’s visit signals that the Trump administration is “panicked” about Gallrein’s chances.

“That’s why they’re sending the Secretary of War to my district tomorrow,” Massie said on the show.

“That’s why the president’s losing sleep and tweeting about this. That’s why AIPAC has dumped another $3 million into my race this weekend—because they’re panicked, and they really haven’t been able to gain a lead in this race.”