Michael McGinnis (Kentucky)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Michael McGinnis

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 21, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Edgewood, Ky.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Michael McGinnis (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Kentucky's 4th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on May 21, 2024.

McGinnis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Michael McGinnis was born in Edgewood, Kentucky.

Elections

2024

See also: Kentucky's 4th Congressional District election, 2024

Kentucky's 4th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

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

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

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 279,517
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Matthew Lehman (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 4

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

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

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,593
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McGinnis in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael McGinnis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McGinnis' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a sixth generation Kentuckian and lifelong Northern Kentuckian. I'm an Eagle Scout and proven leader.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I'm running to fix Congress, fix the budget process, fix the immigration system, cut wasteful spending, and drain the swamp.
• It's time to get corporate money out of politics.
• It's time to get rid of our two tiered system of justice.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Better border security, a better immigration system, cutting wasteful spending, and housing affordability.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Drain the Swamp by Ken Buck

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Trust and transparency. Listening to voters. Doing what is best for the voters, not corporate interests.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listening to voters, asking tough questions in committee hearings, drafting legislation, and getting legislation through Congress.

What is your favorite book? Why?

See you at the top by Zig Ziglar

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Floor amendments allow for everyone to participate in the legislative process. Everyone gets equal time to ask questions in committee hearings.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Our national debt, China, and Russia.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

Investigate the Bill Gates foundation for their role in the pandemic. They funded the University of Washington Institute of Health Metrics, which created the coronavirus model used by the White House. They also funded Biontech, the organization that created the Pfizer vaccine. Investigate the EcoHealth Alliance for their role in coordinating with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

What committees interest you?

Healthcare committees

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

McGinnis’s campaign website stated the following:

“	FIX CONGRESS 1. One bill, one issue in order to stop omnibus bills on a permanent basis. 2. All votes roll call/ electronically recorded vote. 3. Keep the House and Senate floor amendment process on a permanent basis. 4. Germaneness rule- all floor amendments must be same subject as bill. 5. Mandatory 72 hour waiting period between a bill filed and voted on in both houses of Congress in order to stop omnibus bills from being passed in the middle of the night. 6. No hearing, no vote in order to stop omnibus bills from being passed in the middle of the night. 7. Make discharge petitions the law in both houses of Congress. 8. REINS Act: require that all regulations with major economic impact be voted on in Congress before taking effect. This would return the power to regulate interstate commerce back to Congress where it belongs. 9. Senators Work as much As Teachers Act: Mandatory 180 legislative sessions per year on separate days. A roll call vote and a quorum would be required for each session. Congressional productivity has gone down significantly since Congress switched to a three day work week. 10. Eliminate House rules committee. 11. Eliminate House and Senate budget committee since they are redundant due to the existence of appropriations committees in Congress. This would save the taxpayers millions in staff salaries over the long term. 12. Six year term limits for committee chairs in Congress. LOWER THE DEFICIT 13. Ban federal healthcare dollars/food stamps going to illegal immigrants. 14. Amend the Budget Act of 1974 (2 USC 631) to include a stricter budget schedule. 15. Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act. 16. Stop use it or lose it spending, the money government agencies have left over at the end of the year and spend it however they want to. This money would be returned to the treasury instead, with a savings to taxpayers of $50-$100 billion per year. 17. Mandatory competitive bidding on all military contracts over one billion dollars. 18. Ban federal bonuses, with an annual savings of $1 billion to taxpayers. 19. End the Export-Import Bank, loans to Fortune 500 companies, leading to at least $150 million in savings to the taxpayer on an annual basis. 20. Mandate that farm subsidies only go to those that own or operate a farm. DRAIN THE SWAMP 21. Amend 28 USC 541 to have the DC US Attorney appointed by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, not the President. When the DC US Attorney (federal prosecutor) is appointed by the President, they will not prosecute people on their side of the aisle. They will also not prosecute people on the other side of the aisle since it will be perceived as prosecuting their political opponents. 22. Amend the bribery statute (18 USC 201) to include donations to PACs and political campaigns in exchange for a vote on a bill, sponsorship of a bill, and co-sponsorship of a bill a bribe. President Trump’s prosecutor in Southern Ohio figured out how to drain Cincinnati City Hall, by arresting city council members for taking PAC donations in exchange for their vote. 23. Holman rule- Allow Congress to zero out salaries of executive branch officials. IMMIGRATION 24. Finish the wall. 25. Remain in Mexico for all asylum seekers. 26. Mandatory e-verify, which requires two forms of ID in order to be hired for a job. 27. Ban sanctuary cities. 28. Ban asylum seekers from receiving work permits. FBI/DOJ REFORM 29. Mandate all FBI interviews be recorded in order for someone to be prosecuted for lying to the FBI. 30.Repeal absolute immunity for prosecutors and federal judges, 28 USC 2679 (b)(1). Currently federal judges and federal prosecutors can’t be sued for civil violations of the law. 31.Mandate Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility release names of prosecutors who commit misconduct. 32. Codify Brady precedent, the Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act, with mandatory criminal penalties for prosecutors who knowingly fail to disclose exculpatory/exonerating evidence (18 USC 401), and allow it to be a fireable offense at DOJ. 33. Allow unlimited habeas corpus petitions after a conviction. Repeal 28 USC 2255(f), 28 USC 2255(h), 28 USC 2241(c)(3). Mandate habeas corpus petition to be heard by judge that didn’t preside over original trial. 34. Must have search warrant to unmask American identity in incidentally collected foreign surveillance (FISA Section 702). HELPING THE MIDDLE CLASS 35. Cap interest rates for credit cards (10%). 36. Cap interest rates on private student loans (10%). 37. Allow health insurance to be sold across state lines. MISCELLANEOUS 38. Ban stock buybacks for pharmaceutical and health insurance companies. 39. Allow seven million in tax deductible compensation for corporate executives instead of stock options. Exclude hospital executives, health insurance executives, and pharmaceutical executives. Fortune 500 CEOs who receive six million dollars in stock options annually will introduce layoffs in order to meet quarterly Wall Street expectations and boost the value of their stock options. 40. Stop the censorship of conservatives on social media. Repeal the word objectionable from section 230, stopping social media executives from removing content they view as objectionable.	”
—Michael McGinnis’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Michael McGinnis campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Kentucky District 4	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

U.S. House Kentucky District 4

Website

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Footnotes

[show]

Kentucky's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mitch McConnell (R)

Rand Paul (R)

Representatives

District 1

James Comer (R)

District 2

Brett Guthrie (R)

District 3

Morgan McGarvey (D)

District 4

Thomas Massie (R)

District 5

Hal Rogers (R)

District 6

Andy Barr (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (1)