Rand Paul endorses Thomas Massie for re-election

FRANKFORT — Despite praising the role of competitive primary elections in the past, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul on Friday endorsed U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie for re-election in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.

Massie, Kentucky’s most ardent Tea Party member, has come under fire recently in his Northern Kentucky district as Steve Stevens, president of the Northern Kentucky Chamber, said late last month that he is considering challenging Massie in a Republican primary.

Massie is a staunch ally of Paul’s, and the senator said in a statement Friday that the freshman congressman “is one of the most principled conservatives in the United States Congress.”