In an interview with JI, the wealthy businessman declined to weigh in on Tucker Carlson but said Republicans ‘shouldn't be in the business of canceling anyone’
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Lexington tech entrepreneur Nate Morris speaks at the annual Fancy Farm picnic, Aug. 2, 2025, in Fancy Farm, Ky.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleAs the GOP uneasily contends with rising hostility to Israel among younger right-wing voters, Nate Morris, a 45-year-old Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky who is courting the populist right with an anti-establishment message, emphasizes there is at least one long-standing party axiom he will never abandon: unwavering support for the Jewish state.
Morris, the wealthy founder of a successful waste management company who calls himself a “Trump America-First conservative,” said his commitment to upholding a strong U.S.-Israel alliance extends from his alignment with President Donald Trump’s vision for the Middle East.
“I think he’s been the most pro-Israel president we’ve had in our country’s history, and I want to continue that kind of leadership on the issue in the United States Senate, on behalf of Kentucky and the country,” Morris told Jewish Insider in an interview last Friday during the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual summit in Las Vegas, where he met privately with members to pitch his campaign to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Trump, he added, “has gotten it right, and obviously the success speaks for itself.”
But Morris also cited a more personal reason for what he described as his unequivocally pro-Israel worldview, explaining that, as a “proud” evangelical Christian, he has “always believed Israel is the land that was given to the Jews by God.”
“My views on Israel are never going to change,” he pledged. “They’re in my bones. That’s the way I was raised. That’s what my faith teaches me.”
“Look, all our differences here and the different positions that are out there, we’ve got to have more education, we’ve got to have more conversations as a party,” Morris said, without referring to Carlson or Roberts directly. “I want to discuss these things as a party, get on the same page as a party.”
His comments, while hardly unusual in a deeply evangelical state like Kentucky, come at a fraught moment for conservative Christian supporters of Israel, in the immediate wake of Tucker Carlson’s friendly interview with the neo-Nazi streamer Nick Fuentes, a source of sustained criticism throughout the RJC’s three-day summit attended by elected officials, conservative activists, media personalities and other political candidates.
But even as Carlson had expressed his disdain for Christian Zionists, claiming they had been seized by a “brain virus,” Morris was relatively cautious when addressing the interview with Fuentes as well as the backlash toward the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank whose president, Kevin Roberts, has continued to stand behind Carlson.
“Look, all our differences here and the different positions that are out there, we’ve got to have more education, we’ve got to have more conversations as a party,” he said diplomatically, without referring to Carlson or Roberts directly. “I want to discuss these things as a party, get on the same page as a party.”
Morris also stressed that “we shouldn’t be in the business of canceling anyone, but educating them and making sure they understand the full context and what’s at stake here.”
“That’s the way we’re going to win as a party,” he said, “and I think that is what’s going to tamp out any differences that we have and that we shouldn’t be having.”
The hesitance to offer a forthright condemnation speaks not only to Carlson’s strong influence in the MAGA movement but also to how his fan base likely overlaps with the right-wing coalition that Morris is hoping to activate in a competitive primary with two more-established rivals.
Morris, a friend of Vice President JD Vance who launched his campaign in June, is facing Daniel Cameron, the former state attorney general, and Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), both of whom are strong supporters of Israel. Morris described the race as a “proxy war between Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump,” as the outgoing senator has become one of the most vocal Republican critics of the president in the upper chamber and frequently warns of growing isolationism in the GOP.
Even as he worked as an intern for McConnell early in his career, Morris, who attended graduate school at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs as well as Oxford, has sought to tie his rivals to the retiring senator, arguing that Kentucky voters are “ready for change” and that Congress is in need of “new perspectives.”
To underscore his point, Morris noted that Zach Witkoff, the son of Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently hosted an event for his Senate campaign, where Morris got the chance to “hear firsthand a lot of the inside details” about how the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas “came together.”
“What I love about the president is he uses tools of diplomacy, the same tools he uses as a negotiator and as a business leader, and he has applied those to his foreign policy to be able to get things done,” Morris said.
Trump’s approach “shows that when you have outsiders and business people negotiating, you can get great outcomes,” he added. “That’s one of the big reasons why I’m running for the U.S. Senate. I think that we need more people coming from the outside.”
“The thing is, unless you go there and see it, you don’t understand that every day, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Morris told JI. “You’re under constant threat and potential for assault when you live there and when you’re a citizen of Israel.”
He also called Vance, who encouraged him to run for the open seat, a fellow “outsider” who “wasn’t a career politician” before he launched his own bid for Senate in Ohio just a few years ago. Morris said that they had talked about foreign policy “in the context of” their “general worldview,” but did not elaborate.
Morris was previously a fundraiser for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the libertarian Republican, with whom he traveled to Israel in 2013 on a trip that included evangelical leaders. He said the visit instilled in him a heightened sensitivity to Israel’s ongoing security concerns. (Paul has regularly voted against military aid to Israel and opposed Trump’s attack against Iran’s nuclear program, as part of his overall opposition to foreign aid and military engagement overseas.)
“The thing is, unless you go there and see it, you don’t understand that every day, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” he told JI. “You’re under constant threat and potential for assault when you live there and when you’re a citizen of Israel.”
The first-time candidate acknowledged waning support for Israel in younger Republican circles, even as he declined to criticize Carlson and others for stoking anti-Israel sentiment on the far right.
He expressed concern about students who posed a series of antisemitic questions to Vance at a recent Turning Point USA campus event, but stopped short of addressing the backlash the vice president subsequently faced for choosing not to challenge the students’ hostile remarks about Jews and Israel.
While his evangelical faith primarily drives his own support for Israel, Morris said he also believes that “it makes the most sense for the United States,” and skeptical younger conservatives could be persuaded simply on the basis of that argument. “Even looking at it economically,” he said, “I could sell that all day long to any American, to say you’re going to prosper more by this relationship.”
“I think that these are the kind of tools that we can use to get over any hatred, any disagreement — any of the discourse that has been disgusting we’ve seen online,” Morris told JI. “These are the kind of things that can help change hearts and minds.”
Former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein jumped in the race today, citing Massie’s refusal to support key parts of the president’s agenda
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) speaks to reporters as he arrives for a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on February 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and fifth-generation Kentucky farmer, launched his bid on Tuesday to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) after being urged by President Donald Trump to challenge the renegade, anti-Israel congressman in the GOP primary.
Gallrein’s campaign launch comes four days after Trump declared that the Kentucky native was his preferred candidate to take on Massie, whom Trump had soured on over his growing antagonism towards Trump’s agenda. Massie was one of the only congressional Republicans to oppose Trump’s landmark “big, beautiful” spending bill and has worked with Democrats to force a floor vote to release Justice Department documents on Jeffrey Epstein.
“I’ve dedicated my life to serving my country, and I’m ready to answer the call again. This district is Trump Country,” Gallrein said. “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.”
“Thomas Massie has become one of the biggest roadblocks to President Trump’s America First agenda,” he added. “When Trump fought for historic tax cuts, Massie voted no. When Trump tried to fully fund border security, Massie stood in the way. President Trump endorsed me because Kentuckians deserve a Congressman who will stand with our President, not against him.”
Massie is also a frequent opponent of U.S. support for Israel and legislation to combat antisemitism. The president’s allies recently launched a $1 million ad blitz against Massie, the opening salvo of the Trump-backed effort to unseat the lawmaker, who has swatted down previous primary challenges.
Trump said on Friday in a post on his Truth Social platform that Gallrein was “a true America First Patriot” who would support his Make America Great Again agenda.
“A Brave Combat Veteran, Ed knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Defend our Country, Support our Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump wrote.
Trump went on to call Massie a “Third Rate Congressman” and a “Weak and Pathetic RINO,” adding that residents of Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District should be served by someone in favor of the president’s agenda given his electoral success there.
“The incredible people of Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District gave us a mandate to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and the person that will help us do that is Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Fifth Generation Kentucky Farmer, Captain Ed Gallrein, a true America First Patriot,” Trump wrote.
Gallrein is a Kentucky native whose family built the state’s largest dairy farm and one of the state’s largest grain farms. He describes himself as a traditional conservative who was inspired by former President Ronald Reagan to enter public service in the 1980s.
Gallrein ran unsuccessfully in a 2024 GOP primary for a Kentucky state Senate seat, losing narrowly to now-state Sen. Aaron Reed. Trump’s political team also considered recruiting Reed, who is also a former Navy SEAL, to run against Massie but the state lawmaker passed on the race.
Plus, Biden and Obama officials resist Iran rethink
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) speaks to reporters as he arrives for a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on February 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we spotlight Kentucky state Sen. Aaron Reed, who is considering a primary challenge to Rep. Thomas Massie, and report on interim Columbia President Claire Shipman’s apology to Jewish communal leaders over past comments calling for the removal of a Jewish trustee over her pro-Israel advocacy. We look at the race taking shape in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, where Adelita Grijalva is polling above Daniel Hernandez ahead of the July 15 special election primary, and report on bipartisan legislation led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mike Lawler that call for the U.S. to provide Israel with bunker-buster bombs and the planes to use them. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Ritchie Torres, Phil Rosenthal, Bar Winkler and Roey Lalazar.
Ed. note: The next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Monday, July 7. Enjoy the long holiday weekend!
What We’re Watching
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington on Sunday, ahead of his planned Monday meeting with President Donald Trump.
- We’ll be reporting on the details around the meeting and what’s at stake as the two leaders discuss Gaza, Iran, Syria and normalization efforts — sign up for Jewish Insider’s email and WhatsApp alerts to stay up to date with the latest developments over the long weekend.
- Former Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander is slated to meet Trump at the White House at 12:45 p.m. ET.
- The Nova Music Festival exhibition and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum are hosting an event this afternoon with DJ and Nova festival survivor Noa Beer and Holocaust survivor Nat Shaffir.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S GABBY DEUTCH
After Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, the U.S. is now demanding that Tehran return to the negotiating table.
“Told you so,” many prominent Democrats — including architects of Iran policy in both the Obama and Biden administrations — are saying in response, arguing they were right all along about the power of negotiations. But in doing so, they are also overlooking the impact of President Donald Trump’s military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities on the regime’s negotiating calculus.
The Pentagon is now saying the strikes set back the Iran nuclear program by two years. Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF’s chief of staff, said that Iran is no longer a nuclear threshold state as a result of the U.S. and Israeli attacks.
But those assessments, among other similar analyses, have done little to change the minds of some of the leading Democratic foreign policy hands who have long argued for diplomacy above all else.
KENTUCKY CONTEST
Potential Massie challenger Aaron Reed a supporter of Israel, Iran strikes
Local and national Republicans are eyeing Kentucky state Sen. Aaron Reed as a potential primary challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), as President Donald Trump and his political allies mount an aggressive effort to unseat the incumbent lawmaker, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Dividing line: Middle East policy is emerging as a key divide between the first-term Reed and Massie: asked by the Louisville Courier Journal about any ideological differences between him and Massie, Reed offered a one-word answer: “Israel.” Reed’s Kentucky state Senate biography page lists him as a member of the Kentucky-Israel Caucus. While Massie was the most vocal Republican critic in Congress of the Trump administration’s decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, introducing a war powers resolution that aimed to stop U.S. military action against the Iranian regime, Reed has been openly supportive of the strikes.
TUCSON TUSSLE
Adelita Grijalva emerging as the favorite to succeed her late father in Congress
The latest Democratic primary battle between the left and center where Israel has emerged as a point of division is playing out in a special House election in Tucson, Ariz., later this month, as five candidates vie to replace former longtime Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who died in March. The July 15 primary in Arizona’s dependably blue 7th Congressional District has kept a relatively low profile, even as it features ideological tensions over Middle East policy that could hold implications for the party’s increasingly fractious approach to Israel in the lead-up to next year’s midterm elections. Adelita Grijalva, 54, a former Pima County supervisor, is viewed as the favorite to win the seat in what is expected to be a low-turnout race, owing in part to her significant name recognition in the area represented by her late father for over two decades, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
She has also consolidated endorsements from top establishment Democrats, including Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), while securing the backing of progressive leaders such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), among other high-profile critics of Israel in Congress. But her limited record of commentary on Israel has raised questions among pro-Israel activists rallying behind one of Grijalva’s chief primary rivals, Daniel Hernandez, a former state lawmaker who identifies as a pro-Israel progressive and claims support from Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and the political arm of Democratic Majority for Israel.
BOWING OUT
Ritchie Torres says he’s likely passing on New York gubernatorial run
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), in a surprise reversal, said Wednesday that he’s unlikely to mount a primary challenge against New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, after months of circling a potential run for that office, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What he said: “I’m unlikely to run for governor. The assault that we’ve seen on the social safety in the Bronx is so unprecedented, so overwhelming that I’m going to keep my focus on Washington, D.C.,” Torres, a favorite of the Jewish community, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “So, my heart lies in Washington, D.C. I feel like now, more than ever, we have to fight the catastrophe that is the Trump presidency.”
SCOOP
Columbia’s Claire Shipman apologizes for leaked messages calling for removal of Jewish trustee
Claire Shipman, acting president of Columbia University, issued an apology to several members of the campus community for leaked text messages where she suggested that a Jewish trustee should be removed from the university’s board over her pro-Israel advocacy. “The things I said in a moment of frustration and stress were wrong. They do not reflect how I feel,” Shipman wrote on Wednesday in a private email obtained by Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen, noting that she was addressing “some trusted groups of friends and colleagues, with whom I’ve talked regularly over the last few months.”
Individual and group apologies: “I have apologized directly to the person named in my texts, and I am apologizing now to you,” Shipman wrote in Wednesday’s email. “I have tremendous respect and appreciation for that board member, whose voice on behalf of Columbia’s Jewish community is critically important. I should not have written those things, and I am sorry. It was a moment of immense pressure, over a year and a half ago, as we navigated some deeply turbulent times. But that doesn’t change the fact that I made a mistake. I promise to do better.”
Hill weighs in: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) called on Shipman to resign, following JI’s report on Shipman’s apology.
HELPING HAND
Gottheimer, Lawler push to provide Israel with bunker busters after U.S. strikes
A bipartisan group of House members reintroduced a bill on Wednesday to allow the president to provide Israel with bunker-buster bombs — the heavy ordnance used by the U.S. against Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities — and the planes needed to drop them, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Independent action: The bill is part of a long-standing effort led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), one of its lead sponsors, to give the administration the option to provide Israel the capabilities to act independently against Iran’s most highly fortified nuclear facilities. The legislation’s sponsors argue that it remains relevant even in the aftermath of the U.S. strikes in the event Iran attempts to reconstitute its nuclear program. Transferring the systems — which are unique to the U.S. — to Israel has been seen by some experts as a way to ensure Israel has the ability to destroy underground nuclear sites in Iran while avoiding direct U.S. involvement in the conflict.
Damage assessment: The Pentagon’s chief spokesman said on Wednesday that the U.S. strikes against the Iranian nuclear program had set the program back by two years. His estimate appears to be the most specific information the Trump administration has shared on the extent of the damage caused by the strikes, Jewish Insider’s Jake Schlanger reports.
FIRST AID
Israeli mental health experts warn of impending ‘tsunami of war-related psychiatric illness’ after 20 months of conflict
“Resilience” has long been the goal of Israeli mental health practitioners, an emotional ruggedness allowing Israeli society to bounce back quickly after tragedy. This has been particularly true since the Oct. 7 terror attacks and the resulting wars that continue to claim the lives of soldiers and civilians, including the recent 12-day conflict with Iran, which killed 28 Israeli civilians and displaced thousands. The night after a ceasefire was declared, Israelis were seen back at the beach, and the following morning, schools reopened. However, mental health professionals warn that beneath this celebrated toughness lie deeper, troubling emotions — fear, guilt, shame, vulnerability, anger and anxiety — affecting all layers of society, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judith Sudilovsky reports.
Busy lines: Mental health hotlines and clinics run by three of Israel’s top providers — ERAN, NATAL and ELEM, the latter of which supports at-risk youth — have reported sharp increases in demand since Oct. 7, 2023. Calls to ELEM’s digital programs have tripled; NATAL now treats over 3,000 people weekly, up from 350 before the war; and ERAN volunteers have handled over 500,000 calls since the outbreak of the war, averaging 1,200 to 1,500 a day. This surge reflects the complex emotional and psychological issues people are facing now, professor Rivka Tuval-Mashiach, steering committee chair of NATAL, told eJP, with call volumes related to anxiety issues significantly increasing to both of NATAL’s two dedicated hotlines — one for the general public and one for soldiers and veterans.
Read the full story here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.
Worthy Reads
Just the Beginning on Iran: In The New York Times, former National Security Advisor John Bolton suggests that the U.S.’ strikes on Iran last month are not the end of Washington’s efforts to degrade the threats posed by Iran. “Satisfying America’s legitimate demands requires Iran to do a full Libya, meaning real performance in denuclearizing, not just acquiescing to treaty verbiage. It requires that Iran surrender all of its weapons-related assets, meaning any enriched uranium and all remaining physical assets, including dual-use capabilities. However, absent a change of government in Tehran, which Washington should support, a full Libya is impossible. Unlike Muammar el-Qaddafi, the mullahs, already badly humiliated, realize that further humiliation would fatally weaken their rule. They will never voluntarily accept that fate. Instead, they will resume their earlier tactic of using negotiations to string the West along until memories dim and, as the old saying goes, ‘zeal for a deal’ takes over, as it did for Barack Obama, producing the fatally flawed 2015 Iran agreement.” [NYTimes]
Mideast Magical Thinking: In The Wall Street Journal, presidential historian and former White House aide Tevi Troy examines the history of Middle East regimes falsely claiming victory over Israel, following claims by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Israel had been “practically knocked out and crushed” by Iran’s military. “These false statements by Middle Eastern autocracies show the weaknesses of systems that can’t acknowledge reality. An inability to turn a critical eye on oneself and admit a mistake represents a fundamental flaw in authoritarian regimes. … As long as autocratic nations like Iran continue to act like Monty Python’s Black Knight, they’ll never develop the capacity to fight effectively against nations that can critique themselves. But that isn’t all that truth telling can bring. If Iran ever does develop the capacity for honesty, then its leaders would realize — like the Egyptians did — that peace with Israel is a much more effective strategy than fighting with it.” [WSJ]
Word on the Street
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Wednesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud…
In The Wall Street Journal, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), who last week withheld his support from New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, suggests that the Queens assemblyman’s victory should be a “wake-up call” to Democrats and posits that Mamdani won the primary “because too many voters think the rest of the Democratic Party no longer stands for them”…
In the New York Daily News, political strategist Bradley Tusk posits that Mamdani is likely to win the general election in November, owing to the “ceiling” facing any Republican candidate and Mayor Eric Adams’ own unfavorability ratings in the city as he mounts an independent bid…
Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman called on former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to withdraw from the mayoral race following his primary loss to Mamdani, assessing that Cuomo’s “body language, his subdued energy and his proposals to beat Mamdani” indicated he was “not up for the fight” and suggested Cuomo’s departure from the race would be necessary “to maximize Adams’ probability of success”…
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation into George Mason University’s handling of antisemitism issues, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports; the Virginia university had faced scrutiny over its response to a series of incidents involving students, including the discovery of pro-terrorism materials in the home of two of GMU students and federal charges brought against a third student accused of plotting a mass causality attack…
eJewishPhilanthropy‘s Judah Ari Gross interviews Mike and Shelly Pitman, respectively the president and executive director of the Brooklyn-based La’Aretz Foundation, which has raised $1 million to provide $2,500 directly to 500 Bat Yam families affected by Iran’s ballistic missile strike on the city…
Bar Winkler and Roey Lalazar’s Israel-based AI startup Wonderful raised $34 million in its latest round of funding…
The New York Times spotlights “Everybody Loves Raymond” creator Phil Rosenthal, following the release of the eighth season of his travel food show “Somebody Feed Phil”…
Smithsonian Magazine looks at the resurgence in popularity of Jewish food in Poland…
Iran charged two French nationals who have been imprisoned in the country for three years with spying for Israel and conspiring to overthrow the Iranian government…
Australia confirmed it canceled the visa of artist Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, following the May release of a song titled “Heil Hitler”…
Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan was removed from the lineups of upcoming music festivals in France and the U.K. following an uproar over an incident at the Glastonbury music festival last month in which the group led attendees in a chant calling for “death to the IDF”…
U.K. Parliament members voted overwhelmingly in favor of banning the activist group Palestine Action, after two members of the group broke into a British air base and vandalized military aircraft…
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian approved a law passed days ago by the country’s parliament to suspend coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency and ordered Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Supreme National Security Council and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin implementation of the new law…
The New York Times looks at Iran’s history of recruiting common criminals and cartel members to carry out attacks on American soil…
Hamas called on the leader of a Bedouin clan that has challenged Hamas’ leadership in the enclave to surrender, as Israel bolsters its support for groups operating on the Palestinian Authority’s payroll against Hamas…
Adam Szubin is joining Covington as of counsel in the firm’s national security practice (h/t Playbook)…
Pic of the Day
Former hostages Omer Shem Tov (second from left); Noa Argamani (third from right) and Iair Horn (second from right); and Tzur Goldin (far left), brother of Lt. Hadar Goldin, met on Wednesday in Washington with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Birthdays
Movie, television and stage actress, director and writer, Shoshannah Stern turns 45…
Civil rights attorney known for many high-profile cases, born Gloria Rachel Bloom, Gloria Allred turns 84… Winner of the Israel Prize in 1998, professor emeritus of mathematics at both Hebrew U and Rutgers, Saharon Shelah turns 80… Founder of an eponymous charitable foundation and a political office, Barbara Fish Lee turns 80… Retired director of the March of the Living in Miami-Dade and in Boca Raton, Leon Weissberg… Psychologist and board member of many non-profit organizations, Dr. Gail (Giti) Bendheim… Israeli celebrity chef, author of 32 cookbooks and culinary columnist for Yedioth Ahronoth, Yisrael Aharoni turns 75… Head of pediatric oncology and associate professor of pediatrics at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, Dr. Carolyn Fein Levy turns 57… Musician, best known as a harmonicist, Annie Raines turns 56… Actor who has appeared in film and television in the U.S., U.K. and Israel, Yair “Jonah” Lotan turns 52… Development professional Suzanne Greene… Pini Herman…
Asked about any ideological differences between him and Massie, Reed offered a one-word answer: ‘Israel’
Kentucky State Legislature
Kentucky state Sen. Aaron Reed
Local and national Republicans are eyeing Kentucky state Sen. Aaron Reed as a potential primary challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), as President Donald Trump and his political allies mount an aggressive effort to unseat the incumbent lawmaker.
Reed, a first-term Kentucky lawmaker, identifies as a supporter of Israel and has offered support for the U.S. strikes on Iran that Massie has vocally opposed.
Massie has long been a thorn in the side of Republicans, opposing many high-profile bills, including Trump’s signature “big, beautiful” budget reconciliation bill, and is also a regular opponent of U.S. support for Israel and legislation to combat antisemitism. The president’s allies recently launched a $1 million ad blitz against Massie, the opening salvo of a Trump-backed effort to unseat the lawmaker, who has swatted down previous primary challenges.
Reed, in a brief interview with the Louisville Courier Journal this week, said that he has “no plans yet” to enter the House race, and will make a decision on running “when God tells me.” In the meantime, the White House plans to host Reed in Washington in the coming weeks to discuss a potential primary challenge, Politico reported.
Middle East policy is emerging as a key divide between the two Republicans: Asked by the Courier Journal about any ideological differences between him and Massie, Reed offered a one-word answer: “Israel.” Reed’s Kentucky state Senate biography page lists him as a member of the Kentucky-Israel Caucus.
While Massie was one of the most vocal Republican critics in Congress of the Trump administration’s decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, introducing a war powers resolution that aimed to stop U.S. military action against the Iranian regime, Reed has been openly supportive of the strikes.
“President Trump’s decisive strike on Iran’s nuclear sites was a masterclass in leadership. Using 6 bunker busters from our Air Force B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles from our U.S. Navy submarines, we took out Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan with precision,” Reed said on X. “This bold move may have stopped WW3 before it started. No other military could’ve pulled this off. God bless our American warriors.”
The state lawmaker later described the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran as “another masterclass in leadership.”
“This is what Peace Through Strength looks like,” Reed said. “America doesn’t run from a fight. We stand tall, we stand firm, and under decisive leadership, we win.”
Reed is a former Navy SEAL who now owns two gun stores and was elected to the statehouse in 2024.
The state senator, frequently seen wearing a cowboy hat, was elected in spite of opposition from the Senate Republican caucus, narrowly beating a party-backed candidate by approximately 100 votes in one of the most expensive Kentucky Senate primaries in state history and garnering the support of Massie himself.
At the time, Reed called Massie, “one of America’s greatest congressmen,” and described himself as aligned with Massie, a position that could complicate a primary challenge.
According to Louisville Public Media, Reed is aligned with the informal “liberty wing” of the Kentucky GOP, which takes a harder line on government spending and social conservative issues than the GOP majority.
Asked about Reed’s chances of unseating Massie if he enters the race, Al Cross, a longtime political commentator in Kentucky, referred Jewish Insider to comments he made to the Associated Press that Massie likely remains the favorite given his strong following in his district “made substantial by personal contact, not just social media.”
Elon Musk, the former Trump advisor-turned-rival said this week that he’d donate to support Massie against the Trump-backed challenge.
Reed did not respond to a request for comment from JI.
Massie is one of the most outspoken Republican critics of the U.S.-Israel relationship in the House
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) speaks to reporters as he arrives for a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on February 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.
A new super PAC launched by aides to President Donald Trump aimed at unseating Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) placed its first ads in a $1 million blitz in Kentucky targeting the isolationist lawmaker for his refusal to support key parts of the president’s agenda, Jewish Insider has learned.
The Kentucky MAGA PAC was launched earlier this month by Chris LaCivita, who co-managed Trump’s 2024 campaign, and Tony Fabrizio, the president’s pollster, with the goal of defeating Massie in the GOP primary for his House seat next May. LaCivita told Axios at the time that the PAC would spend “whatever it takes” to defeat the Kentucky lawmaker.
Trump and those in his orbit have been discussing the idea of primarying Massie for months, as the congressman criticized the president’s reconciliation package and his approach to foreign policy. Most recently, Massie decried Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities as part of Israel’s military operation to destroy the regime’s nuclear program as unconstitutional.
The ad, which opens with the question, “What happened to Thomas Massie?” criticizes Massie for voting against Trump-backed legislation on sex reassignment surgery for minors, tax cuts, border security funding and his opposition to the Iran strikes.
“After Trump obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program, Massie sided with Democrats and the Ayatollah,” the ad’s narrator intones. “Let’s fire Thomas Massie.”
The ad superimposes Massie’s face and his tweet calling the strikes unconstitutional next to pictures of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Massie is among the most outspoken Republican critics of the U.S.-Israel relationship in the House, and consistently opposes U.S. aid to Israel and nearly all measures to combat antisemitism.
He’s also been repeatedly condemned by colleagues on both sides of the aisle and Jewish leaders in his home state for antisemitism, often over comments about AIPAC and other pro-Israel advocates.
Thus far, Massie does not appear to have any serious primary challengers.
“Massie sided with Democrats and the Ayatollah.”
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) June 26, 2025
President Trump’s anti-Thomas Massie SuperPAC is out with its first ad against the Kentucky Congressman. pic.twitter.com/OwpfP3P6ql
The Republican Jewish Coalition said earlier this year it would join Trump in backing a primary challenger to Massie. “The RJC is proud to join with President Trump to defeat Massie,” the group’s spokesperson, Sam Markstein, said Thursday, when asked about the new PAC.
Past primary attempts against Massie — a Trump antagonist dating back to his first term — have fallen short.
Though it did not make a direct attempt to challenge him in his primary race last year, where he faced no serious competition, the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project super PAC spent several hundred thousand dollars on ads criticizing Massie.
Massie was seen as a potential Senate candidate to run for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) seat, but hasn’t yet announced any plans to run. He’s also been floated as a Kentucky gubernatorial candidate.
The RJC pledged it would spend an “unlimited” budget to oppose a potential Massie Senate run.