In Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, four candidates are facing off to replace Rep. Thomas Massie, who lost the Republican primary earlier this year. That race sparked national attention and became the most expensive race in congressional campaign history.
Now, the Republican primary winner Ed Gallrein faces Democrat Melissa Strange, Libertarian Jeremy Todd, and Independent write-in candidate Peter Williams.
District 4 includes all or part of 21 counties: Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Greenup, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Trimble, Shelby, Spencer, Carter (part), Nelson (part), Robertson. Click here for a full map of Kentucky’s Congressional Districts.
Learn more about the four candidates below, listed in alphabetical order by last name. Candidates were given the same survey questions and word limit of no more than 300 words to respond to each question. All candidate responses have been lightly edited for grammar and style.
Click to jump to a candidate:
Ed Gallrein
Party affiliation: Republican
Campaign website: edgallrein.com
Biography (provided by the candidate)
Ed Gallerin is a 5th-generation Kentucky farmer, a highly decorated combat Veteran, a retired Navy SEAL Captain and Army Ranger. A graduate of Murray State University where he played football, Ed’s active duty career spanned 3 decades serving our nation with leadership tours on seven Navy SEAL teams and units, including two tours of duty on SEAL Team SIX. Ed earned numerous honors including three Bronze Star Medals, the Combat Parachute Badge with Bronze Star and two Presidential Unit Citations, and he is an honor graduate of the prestigious War College for Senior Military Leaders with a Masters Degree in National Security Affairs.
WATCH: Ed Gallrein's interview on Cincinnati Edition
What, if anything, needs to be done at the federal level to address concerns about the environmental, financial and quality-of-life impacts of data centers?
Data centers are important to America’s economic and technological future, but communities and existing ratepayers should not be forced to subsidize their growth. At the federal level, I support expanding reliable American energy production and modernizing our grid while ensuring developers pay their fair share of infrastructure costs. Decisions involving zoning, land use and local development should remain primarily with state and local communities — not Washington.
Immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration have often moved beyond people suspected or convicted of serious violent crimes. Do you support this approach? Why or why not?
I support enforcing our immigration laws. Violent criminals and national security threats should be the highest priority, but entering or remaining in the country illegally cannot simply be ignored. Enforcement should be firm, lawful and consistent with due process. Congress must secure the border, improve our legal immigration system and provide clear, consistent laws for enforcement.
What steps would you take to address high inflation and other cost of living concerns?
Washington needs to stop making life more expensive. That means getting federal spending and debt under control, expanding American energy production, reducing unnecessary regulations and encouraging more domestic manufacturing, and eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse. We also need to remove barriers that increase the cost of building housing. The government cannot mandate lower prices, but it can stop pursuing policies that unnecessarily drive costs higher.
What is your stance on the Trump administration’s approach to Iran? And what do you think the U.S. should aim to get out of it?
Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon or continue to attack Americans and our allies with impunity. I support using American economic, diplomatic and military strength to protect our national security. Our objectives should be clear: prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, protect American personnel and our allies, and eliminate Iran’s ability to support global terrorism.
What legislation would you introduce to improve our roads, bridges and transit, and how would you fund it?
I support a long-term transportation plan focused on maintaining and modernizing roads and bridges. Federal transportation dollars should be spent on actual infrastructure, with accountability for results.
This district has seen growth over the past few years, spurred by large-scale commercial headquarters and major infrastructure projects like the Brent Spence Companion Bridge. How would you ensure people who are already living in Kentucky’s 4th District can benefit from these developments without being priced out?
Growth should benefit the people who already call Northern Kentucky home. We need more housing, infrastructure and workforce opportunities to keep pace with growth that delivers prosperity for working families. I support removing unnecessary barriers to housing construction, investing in transportation and workforce development, and keeping taxes, energy and regulatory costs under control.
Melissa Strange
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: strangeforky.com
Biography (provided by the candidate)
Melissa’s deep roots in Kentucky, her commitment to her family and community, and her relentless dedication to everyday people make her a true representative for her district. She is not just a candidate for Congress. She is a neighbor, a friend, a wife, a graduate of Dixie Heights High School, Northern Kentucky University, and Thomas More University, and a tireless advocate for the people and values of Kentucky’s fourth district. A lifelong resident of Northern Kentucky, Melissa is a businesswoman who has spent her life building teams and solving problems. Twenty-seven years working in food manufacturing and supply chain uniquely qualifies you to understand the challenges that folks are facing and how lawmakers’ decisions or indecisions will affect them. As she has watched our country continue to grow more and more divided, Melissa feels called to serve because she strongly believes that we need to lower costs, end inflationary tariffs, pass legislation to end political corruption, and protect our communities from data centers.
WATCH: Melissa Strange's interview on Cincinnati Edition
What, if anything, needs to be done at the federal level to address concerns about the environmental, financial and quality-of-life impacts of data centers?
While the federal government has a responsibility to provide support and guidance regarding proposed data center projects, our communities must be the ones leading these discussions and making decisions. Currently the decisions being made on state and local levels are not taking into account the needs of the citizens who will be affected by these projects. We need a plan that benefits Kentucky, not billionaires in Silicon Valley. We’ve seen the disaster in Ohio where politicians rolled out unlimited financial incentives and passed the costs onto the taxpayers. Multi-billion dollar companies should be incentivizing our communities for access to our resources, not begging for handouts. Data centers introduce environmental disruptions and increase energy bills. The implementation of these centers should be left to the communities and taxpayers that will be affected by them.
Immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration have often moved beyond people suspected or convicted of serious violent crimes. Do you support this approach? Why or why not?
I believe in securing our border and enforcing our immigration laws, particularly when it comes to stopping the flow of illegal drugs and human trafficking. However, the immigration enforcement actions we have seen under the current administration have gone far beyond what is safe, necessary, or effective. The lack of transparency and acts of violent and sometimes fatal enforcement tactics are deeply concerning. We can enforce our laws while still respecting due process and the humanity of every person on American soil. We need major reforms to our immigration and customs enforcement system that provide greater transparency, accountability, and clear priorities for enforcement. But we cannot stop at these reforms. We also need to make the legal immigration process more efficient and create a fair, attainable pathway to citizenship for people who have built lives, families, and communities here.
What steps would you take to address high inflation and other cost of living concerns?
When I travel around my district, affordability is by far the biggest concern for the voters I talk to. People cannot pay for their gas or groceries, young people cannot afford to buy homes, and so many are worried that one medical emergency will bankrupt them for years. It is imperative that we reenergize our economy and address these issues so that it is no longer too expensive to be an American. That starts with ending tariffs that raise costs on American consumers and businesses. Families should not be forced to pay more at the grocery store, at the pump, or for other everyday goods because of misguided trade policies. We need to preserve, improve, and expand current affordable housing, address the missing middle-income housing, improve unsafe housing conditions, and embrace the job creation this could bring. We must also improve our current healthcare system. I would support a measured approach over time that phases towards an overall universal healthcare system. To start, we need to reinstate the Affordable Care Act Subsidies and introduce a public option available to any American. I will protect and expand Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
What is your stance on the Trump administration’s approach to Iran? and what do you think the U.S. should aim to get out of it?
The conflict in Iran was launched without congressional authorization, and another forever war in the Middle East is not what the American people want. President Trump campaigned on an America First agenda and promised to keep our country out of unnecessary foreign wars, but this conflict has moved us in the opposite direction. Disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz have affected the global energy supply and contributed to higher oil and fuel prices. Families here at home should not have to budget around astronomical gas prices because of this conflict. Our goal now should be to protect American lives and national security while finding a diplomatic path out of this conflict. We should exhaust every diplomatic option available to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, protect our troops and allies, restore safe commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiate a durable end to hostilities.
What legislation would you introduce to improve our roads, bridges and transit, and how would you fund it?
Our district has already seen major federal infrastructure investment with the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor, but we cannot stop there. Northern Kentucky sits along one of the most important transportation corridors in the country. The Brent Spence Bridge alone carries more than $400 billion in freight every year, and our roads and bridges need to be safe and efficient for both the businesses that depend on them and the people who use them every day. In Congress, I would support comprehensive infrastructure legislation that provides consistent federal funding to repair aging roads and bridges, reduce congestion, and expand reliable transit options. I would also push to streamline the federal funding and approval process so that once necessary projects receive funding, we can break ground and complete them in a timely manner. I would fund these investments by protecting and expanding federal highway, bridge, transit, and competitive grant programs and making sure Kentucky receives its fair share of those dollars.
This district has seen growth over the past few years, spurred by large-scale commercial headquarters and major infrastructure projects like the Brent Spence Companion Bridge. How would you ensure people who are already living in Kentucky's 4th District can benefit from these developments without being priced out?
Growth in our district should improve the lives of the people who already call Kentucky home, not price them out of their own communities. As a Congresswoman, my constituents would be my number one priority, not a political party. I will work with anyone if it means bringing investment into our district. As major developments like the Brent Spence project come to our region, we need to make sure our infrastructure and housing keep pace with that growth. That means investing in affordable and middle-income housing, improving roads and public infrastructure, and expanding complete cell phone coverage and broadband throughout the 4th District. We also need to make sure local workers and small businesses have opportunities to benefit from the jobs and economic activity these projects create.
Jeremy Todd
Party affiliation: Libertarian
Campaign website: jeremy-todd.com
Biography (provided by the candidate)
Jeremy Todd was born and raised in the South in a hardworking family that taught him faith, perseverance, and personal responsibility. The son of a truck driver and a billing clerk, he learned early the value of honest work, humility, and treating people with respect. Baptized in a small country church, his Christian faith has remained a foundation for both his life and his leadership. As captain of his high school team, Jeremy earned respect through discipline, accountability, and a team-first approach. Those years shaped his belief that leadership is service and example, not title or power. He later built a successful business career, leading teams from a handful of people to organizations of more than 300. That work gave him a practical understanding of the pressures facing working families, small businesses, and everyday Americans. Today, Jeremy is a husband and father, committed to faith, family, and the values that raised him. A Christian and a Libertarian, he stands for individual liberty, personal responsibility, limited government, and the Constitution. He is focused on restoring accountability in government and leaving the next generation a country of freedom, opportunity, and strong communities.
WATCH: Jeremy Todd's interview on Cincinnati Edition
What, if anything, needs to be done at the federal level to address concerns about the environmental, financial and quality-of-life impacts of data centers?
I believe the greatest threat posed by data centers is that their rapid expansion is not due to AI, but is almost certainly to power a mass surveillance state. This means wealthy corporations will have a profit stake in the government violating American's rights. Millions of dollars will be spent to lobby lawmakers to expand things like Flock camera surveillance, CBDCs [Central Bank Digital Currency], and social credit scores. We cannot allow that to happen. Federally, these programs should be banned and governments should be banned from utilizing privately owned data centers. Once the government demand is removed I believe the expansion of data centers will slow to a halt.
Immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration have often moved beyond people suspected or convicted of serious violent crimes. Do you support this approach? Why or why not?
The framing of the question is a problem for me. If the question is "do you believe every person that is here illegally should be deported even if they aren't violent criminals?" my answer is yes. Do I agree with how the Trump administration has used a federal agency to turn our streets into a reality tv show for political gain? Absolutely not. Fix the courts that bottleneck the deportation process. Follow the Constitution. Stop protecting industries that benefit from illegal immigration. Cut any and all taxpayer dollars going to illegal immigrants.
What steps would you take to address high inflation and other cost of living concerns?
Well I'm not interested in telling Americans to suck it up and stretch their meat with beans and make burritos at home. They didn't create this problem, the government did. Inflation has one cause and only one cause: money printing. Both parties treat it like a competition to see who can print more. Government spending is the real tax and inflation from printing money to cover deficits is the hidden tax. This means there is only one answer. We must actually cut spending, we must cut it drastically, and we must cut it now. This means ending many federal departments, like the counterproductive Department of Education, Transportation, Agriculture, HHS [Health and Human Services], ATF [Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives], NSA [National Security Agency] and others. End all foreign aid. Cut military spending and stop fighting stupid wars for foreign countries. Fraud has to actually be cut from the welfare system, not funded like it was in the big beautiful bill. The only way to allow the middle class to catch up and strengthen is to cut taxes, cut spending more, pay down debt, and end the federal reserve so we have sound money again.
What is your stance on the Trump administration’s approach to Iran? and what do you think the U.S. should aim to get out of it?
It's objectively the dumbest decision I've ever seen a president make and that's saying something. We were lied into Iraq with weapons of mass destruction and we were lied into this one with the next week's nuke that's taken 30 years to never exist. Iran has never had the ability to attack our homeland. There was no threat. This war is for Israel on behalf of Trump and Ed Gallrein's billionaire donors like Miram Adelson. It comes at great expense to America making us both weaker and poorer because it's a war that cannot be won. The families of soldiers paid the ultimate price. For what? Nothing. We should be focused on America First. We are $40,000,000,000,000.00 in debt. This is a disaster for the American people who were already struggling but now have to spend $100 to fill up their pickup. If we think that's bad, wait until the oil shortage becomes a fertilizer shortage and your groceries double. It's coming. It was all avoidable. The only thing we should aim to get is OUT.
What legislation would you introduce to improve our roads, bridges and transit, and how would you fund it?
Isn't it incredible that we're taxed to no end, $40 trillion in debt, spend $7 trillion every year, and yet our infrastructure is somehow this terrible? Here's a crazy idea, take all the money we give to Israel, Ukraine, NATO, and every other country and combine it with the money we save by not being in perpetual war for the last 25 years and I'd be willing to bet we can afford some decent roads.
This district has seen growth over the past few years, spurred by large-scale commercial headquarters and major infrastructure projects like the Brent Spence Companion Bridge. How would you ensure people who are already living in Kentucky's 4th District can benefit from these developments without being priced out?
The ominous thing about inflation is that it takes a long time for the money to reach the average American. It benefits the politically connected first. If you stop inflation you give everyday people a level playing field and that's all they need. That is the extent of what can be done constitutionally at the federal level. Local cities have to manage growth by allowing more housing to be built. If demand goes up, supply has to match, otherwise inevitably prices will rise and people will become priced out, which is unacceptable.
Peter Williams
Party affiliation: Independent (write-in candidate)
Campaign website: ky4thdistrict.framer.website
Biography (provided by the candidate)
I grew up in a blue-collar suburb of Charleston, SC, the middle child of five living in a small house. I was the first of my family and only one (for many years) that earned a college degree. I have spent my career in service: six years as an active-duty officer and electrical engineer in the USAF at Wright-Patterson AB in Dayton Ohio, followed by 28 years of teaching primarily public high school math, physics and engineering concepts, mainly at North Oldham High School in Goshen, KY. I was named the Seiman’s Kentucky AP teacher of the year in 2008-9 based on the excellent results of my students’ AP scores over a five-year period. After 9/11, I joined the Air Force Reserves for seven years achieving the rank of Major. I retired from teaching in 2024. I have been married to a wonderful woman for over 34 years and we have two great kids. I spend my free time studying current events, coaching football, playing poker, learning to draw, weight-lifting, gardening, traveling, and cooking.
What, if anything, needs to be done at the federal level to address concerns about the environmental, financial and quality-of-life impacts of data centers?
Data centers are currently largely unpopular, which is entirely understandable. The Republicans have fast-tracked permits and environmental reviews for Artificial Intelligence data centers using over 100MW of energy. The Republicans have also rolled back climate and diversity review hurdles. This is not the way to entice communities to embrace data centers. Communities should be empowered to decide whether they allow data centers to be erected on land within their community. That is the most important thing that I want to see at the federal level.
Communities should decide what they want their communities to look like. So, the federal government should rescind fast-tracking permits and require environmental regulations so that communities have all the information available to make an informed decision. The bipartisan Ratepayers Protection Act encourages state utility regulators to make data center developers cover their own massive energy and infrastructure upgrade costs rather than passing them to local consumers. I believe the building of data centers, if done properly, will boost the economy in the short run. But federal and state governments must ensure that they are built correctly (not hastily), improve the community, and have long lasting, positive effects on the communities’ citizens and environment. Some Data centers in California have shown to bring down the costs of electricity for neighboring consumers. It is important that the pros and cons of data centers be presented to communities as a part of the process. The federal government should continue to facilitate and regulate the data center’s development such as infrastructure, energy demands, and water cooling so that communities are satisfied with the process.
Immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration have often moved beyond people suspected or convicted of serious violent crimes. Do you support this approach? Why or why not?
Current immigration enforcement is more about theater than results. I support non-violent illegal immigration enforcement. How we do things matters. Immigration reform is complicated but begins when we make it difficult for illegal immigrants to earn a living. We should raise the fines and add jail time for employers of illegal aliens. We need to empower (more manpower/funding) the IRS to pursue instances where companies and employers have illegal aliens on the payroll. There are many U.S. citizens that profit from the work of illegal aliens, and our government turns a blind eye! Now coupled with that, we need a reasonable, well-crafted path for citizenship for those illegals who worked in the U.S. without committing any crimes. That path should be very specific and should require a much longer process than those who have entered the country legally. At the same time, we need to make sure no one comes in illegally. I believe in strengthening the borders, making it nearly impossible to work here as an illegal immigrant, offering a path to legal citizenship for current illegals that is much more difficult than the path for those who are legal immigrants, and non-violent and reasonable deportation of illegal, violent immigrants.
What steps would you take to address high inflation and other cost of living concerns?
I would end the unnecessary war in Iran. I would end tariffs. Tariffs and this war are doing a double whammy on our economy. Tariffs are taxes on the consumers. We need free trade, and we need companies that don’t use overseas tax shelters to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Tariffs are historically, and continue to be, a poor and ineffective tool used to regulate global trade imbalance. Congress has the power to regulate tariffs, and they should discourage/prohibit using them in most cases.
What steps would you take to address high inflation and other cost of living concerns?
The war in Iran is one of the biggest foreign policy disasters this century. The Republican administration under Trump in 2018 walked away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015. The plan was imperfect but it worked in keeping Iran from producing sufficient weapons-grade plutonium. When Trump walked away from this deal, he reinvoked economic sanctions against Iran. Within a few months, the economic sanctions were lifted but the JCPOA was no longer enforced. Bombing Iran was Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s idea. Now we are engaged in another preventable war that has weakened both countries, killed many on both sides, including many Iranian civilians, including scores of children, caused global inflation, and undermined Middle East stability. All this was preventable. As a member of congress, who has the power of declaring war, I would end the war and require enforceable United Nation restrictions that prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons now and in the future.
What legislation would you introduce to improve our roads, bridges and transit, and how would you fund it?
When isn’t there road construction, especially in Northern Kentucky? Road infrastructure is difficult and there is not a reasonable short-term solution. There is generally money available from both the federal and state level to help fund these projects, but it is insufficient. Current bills such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build America 250 Act create opportunities to improve roads, but fall short in funding. Obtaining more revenue is essential and requiring a miles travel tax may be one of the solutions. Electric cars and hybrids do not use as much fuel and a large amount of revenue comes from taxes on fuel. Other solutions are difficult to implement or require a long term investment in resources. This is a difficult but necessary question.
This district has seen growth over the past few years, spurred by large-scale commercial headquarters and major infrastructure projects like the Brent Spence Companion Bridge. How would you ensure people who are already living in Kentucky's 4th District can benefit from these developments without being priced out?
I cannot provide an answer for this question at the time. My apologies.
