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Kentucky's 4th Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
Kentucky's 4th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: January 9, 2026
Primary: May 19, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Voting in Kentucky

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Kentucky's 4th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th
Kentucky elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 4th Congressional District of Kentucky, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 19, 2026. The filing deadline was January 9, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Jesse Brewer and Melissa Strange are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on May 19, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Incumbent Thomas Massie and Ed Gallrein are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on May 19, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

2026 battleground election

See also: Kentucky's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Republican primary)

Ballotpedia identified the May 19 Republican primary for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.

Two candidates are running in the Republican primary for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District on May 19, 2026: incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie (R) and Ed Gallrein (R).

As of Jan. 23, 2026, this is one of two congressional races in which President Donald Trump (R) endorsed a challenger to a Republican incumbent. After Massie said he would vote against the short-term government funding bill in March 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social that “HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him.”[1]

In response, Massie posted on X, “Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election. Guess what? Doesn’t work on me. Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me. None busted 25% because my constituents prefer transparency and principles over blind allegiance.”[2] Trump endorsed Gallrein on Oct. 17, 2025.[3]

According to the University of Kentucky's Stephen Voss, "A lot of Republican voters in Massie's district are going to be willing to consider an alternative to Massie because of Donald Trump's spats with Massie. But just because you're not fully happy with your member of Congress doesn't mean you end up willing to vote for someone else."[4]

Massie was first elected to represent Kentucky's 4th Congressional District in a 2012 special election. He previously served as the Lewis County Judge Executive from 2010 to 2012. Massie's professional experience includes working as a farmer and business owner.[5]

Massie said, "Fourth district voters appreciate having an independent conservative voice who works for them, and I look forward to continuing my fight for transparency, constitutional rights, secure borders, a true America-first foreign policy, and fiscal responsibility."[6]

Gallrein is a farmer and business owner.[7] He also served in the U.S. Navy from 1984 to 2014.[7] In 2024, Gallrein ran to represent District 7 in the Kentucky Senate. He lost to Aaron Reed 39.3% to 38.3% in the Republican primary.

Gallrein said, "This district is Trump Country. The president doesn't need obstacles in Congress — he needs backup. I'll defeat Thomas Massie, stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, and deliver the America First results Kentuckians voted for."[6]

As of Jan. 13, 2026, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rated the general election as Solid Republican. Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the general election as Safe Republican.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Kentucky

Election information in Kentucky: May 19, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: April 20, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by April 20, 2026
  • Online: April 20, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: N/A
  • By mail: N/A by N/A
  • Online: May 5, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: May 19, 2026
  • By mail: Received by May 19, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

May 14, 2026 to May 16, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (ET/CT)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Thomas Massie Republican Party $2,451,860 $1,170,141 $2,188,729 As of December 31, 2025
Jesse Brewer Democratic Party $9,351 $9,051 $97 As of December 31, 2025
Melissa Strange Democratic Party $21,079 $9,353 $11,726 As of December 31, 2025
Ed Gallrein Republican Party $1,235,489 $302,224 $933,265 As of December 31, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[8]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[9][10][11]

Race ratings: Kentucky's 4th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
2/10/20262/3/20261/27/20261/20/2026
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Kentucky in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Kentucky, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Kentucky U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 2 500 1/9/2026 Source
Kentucky U.S. House Unaffiliated 400 500 6/2/2026 Source


District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Incumbent Thomas Massie (R) defeated Benjamin Middendorf (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Thomas Massie
Thomas Massie (R)
 
99.6
 
278,386
Benjamin Middendorf (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.4
 
1,131

Total votes: 279,517
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for May 21, 2024, was canceled.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Incumbent Thomas Massie (R) defeated Michael McGinnis (R) and Eric Deters (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on May 21, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Thomas Massie
Thomas Massie
 
75.9
 
39,929
Image of Michael McGinnis
Michael McGinnis  Candidate Connection
 
12.6
 
6,604
Image of Eric Deters
Eric Deters
 
11.5
 
6,060

Total votes: 52,593
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Incumbent Thomas Massie (R) defeated Matthew Lehman (D) and Ethan Osborne (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Thomas Massie
Thomas Massie (R)
 
65.0
 
167,541
Image of Matthew Lehman
Matthew Lehman (D)  Candidate Connection
 
31.0
 
79,977
Image of Ethan Osborne
Ethan Osborne (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
3.9
 
10,111

Total votes: 257,629
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for May 17, 2022, was canceled. Matthew Lehman (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Incumbent Thomas Massie (R) defeated Claire Wirth (R), Alyssa Dara McDowell (R), and George Washington (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Thomas Massie
Thomas Massie
 
75.2
 
50,301
Image of Claire Wirth
Claire Wirth  Candidate Connection
 
15.7
 
10,521
Alyssa Dara McDowell
 
5.2
 
3,446
George Washington
 
3.9
 
2,606

Total votes: 66,874
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Incumbent Thomas Massie (R) defeated Alexandra Owensby (D) in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Thomas Massie
Thomas Massie (R)
 
67.1
 
256,613
Image of Alexandra Owensby
Alexandra Owensby (D)  Candidate Connection
 
32.9
 
125,896

Total votes: 382,509
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Alexandra Owensby (D) defeated Shannon Fabert (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on June 23, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alexandra Owensby
Alexandra Owensby  Candidate Connection
 
58.4
 
41,531
Image of Shannon Fabert
Shannon Fabert  Candidate Connection
 
41.6
 
29,557

Total votes: 71,088
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Incumbent Thomas Massie (R) defeated Todd McMurtry (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4 on June 23, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Thomas Massie
Thomas Massie
 
81.0
 
68,591
Image of Todd McMurtry
Todd McMurtry
 
19.0
 
16,092

Total votes: 84,683
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_ky_congressional_District_04.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+18. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 18 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Kentucky's 4th the 50th most Republican district nationally.[12]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
31.0%67.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Kentucky, 2024

Kentucky presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 16 Democratic wins
  • 16 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D R R D D D D D D R R D R R D R R R D D R R R R R R R
See also: Party control of Kentucky state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Kentucky's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Kentucky
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 1 1
Republican 2 5 7
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 6 8

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Kentucky's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Kentucky, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorDemocratic Party Andy Beshear
Lieutenant GovernorDemocratic Party Jacqueline Coleman
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Michael Adams
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party Russell Coleman

State legislature

Kentucky State Senate

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 6
     Republican Party 32
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 38

Kentucky House of Representatives

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 20
     Republican Party 80
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 100

Trifecta control

Kentucky Party Control: 1992-2025
Eight years of Democratic trifectas  •  Three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R

See also

Kentucky 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Kentucky congressional delegation
Voting in Kentucky
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Democratic primary battlegrounds
Republican primary battlegrounds
U.S. Senate Democratic primaries
U.S. Senate Republican primaries
U.S. House Democratic primaries
U.S. House Republican primaries
U.S. Congress elections
U.S. Senate elections
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Special elections
Ballot access

External links

Footnotes


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
Andy Barr (R)
Republican Party (7)
Democratic Party (1)