Kentucky’s U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie is refusing to vote for House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican endorsed by Trump, for reelection on Friday.
During an appearance on “The Matt Gaetz Show” Thursday night, Massie said that he’d rather have someone “pull all my fingers out” than vote for Johnson.
“You can shove bamboo up in them. You can start cutting off my fingers,” he said. “I am not voting for Mike Johnson.”
Here’s what we know.
Thomas Massie‘Mike Johnson is not equipped to be speaker.’ Thomas Massie on his Friday vote
Massie, 53, says he’s not casting his vote for Johnson Friday, who can only afford to lose one vote if he wants to be reelected, but won’t reveal his selected candidate.
“I can tell you I will be voting for a person. I will not be voting present,” he said Thursday.
It’s currently unclear how some elected Republicans will vote. While none have publicly said they’ll vote against Johnson, some including Reps. Victoria Spartz, of Indiana; Andy Harris, of Maryland; Andy Biggs, of Arizona; and Chip Roy, of Texas are undecided.
Massie’s opposition to Johnson is deeply rooted, but he’s narrowed his objection to his colleague down to four main points:
Massie said his stance against Trump’s speaker endorsement is solely aimed at Johnson and not the former president.
“The reality is, I do support Trump and Trump’s agenda, and I know that Mike Johnson is going to fall short on that measure. So it’s not necessarily about being popular today,” he said. “For me, it’s about being right when it matters, and eventually people will see that I was right. We’ve got two years between now and my next election.”
Thomas Massie is a Republican who represents Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District. He was elected in November 2012 after acting as the Lewis County Judge Executive and is on three committees in Congress — the House Committee on Rules, the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and the House Judiciary Committee.
His wife and high school sweetheart, Rhonda Massie, passed in June 2024.
Reporters Jolene Almendarez and Victoria Moorwood contributed. Contact breaking news reporter Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.
