Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) filed paperwork to run in the 2028 congressional election less than one week after losing in the GOP primary for the 2026 midterms.

“I filed with FEC for the 2028 House race. This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office,” Massie’s campaign X account stated.

“I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run,” it continued.

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That statement comes one day after Massie spoke with NBC’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, saying he is keeping his options open for future races.

“I won’t rule anything out,” said Massie. “I won’t rule out a run for county commissioner. I used to be the county judge-executive here. That was probably the best job I ever had in politics. I would encourage people watching this show to act locally and to run for local offices. We can make a difference. There’s 3,000 counties in this country. Run for one of those offices. We got to change it at the grassroots first.”

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Massie, a Republican, lost last Tuesday’s primary election to Ed Gallrein, who President Trump backed in the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.

“I’ve been in Congress 14 years, fighting. Every hour that passes, I get decompressed a little bit more. It’s like coming up from the bottom of the ocean. And I’ll take some time and decide what’s next. But I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape,” Massie said.

Watch below:

Massie teased a 2028 presidential run during his concession speech after Tuesday’s GOP primary.

A crowd of Massie supporters chanted, “2028!”

“What happens in 2028? You want me to run for Congress again?” Massie asked the crowd.

The crowd chanted, “President!”

“You made a compelling argument. You spoke your peace. But I need a medical margarita right now. And we’ll talk about it later,” he said.

Watch below:

More from The Independent:

The congressman had characterized the primary race as a “national referendum” on Trump’s influence in his second term and whether the Republican Party can survive without the president.

Massie emerged as one of a handful of Republican lawmakers who defied the president’s agenda, drawing fire from Trump over opposition to his “One Big Beautiful Bill” domestic spending package and the war in Iran while fighting with the administration over the release of the government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein, an issue that blew up into a massive political liability for the president and his allies.

Trump responded to that perceived disloyalty by backing Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL whose campaign was heavily supported by pro-Israel interest groups. After his defeat, Massie joked to supporters at his election night party that he “would’ve come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede,” he said. “And it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv.”

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