Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie vs. Democrat Matt Lehman: 3 issues in race for Congress

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie hasn't had trouble getting reelected since he joined Congress in 2012, but that hasn't deterred Democrat Matt Lehman from fighting for his seat in the Nov. 8 election.

Lehman, an entrepreneur in medical research, is working to win over voters in the state's 4th Congressional District, which covers Jefferson County's neighboring Oldham, Shelby and Spencer counties as well Northern Kentucky and part of northeastern Kentucky.

Independent candidate Ethan Keith Osborne is running, too.

Here are three key issues in the Massie-Lehman matchup:

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Russia's war against Ukraine

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Massie − a critic of U.S. spending on foreign aid and conflicts − has consistently voted against proposals to support Ukraine and oppose the Kremlin.

"Sanctions, military weapons, and saber rattling…" he tweeted recently. "There have been at least 18 votes in the House of Representatives this year to (entangle) the United States in the conflict in Ukraine. I voted against all of them because Americans are better served by peace."

Lehman, who lived in Ukraine for five years in the 2000s, would vote differently. He supports the approach by President Joe Biden and Congress, which greenlit over $50 billion in aid for Ukraine, and said it's hard to see what the war has done to his one-time home and its people.

"You watch the news and I mean, I can every so often − depending on the angle when you’re in Kyiv (Ukraine's capital) − you see my old apartment building," he said in a phone interview. “It’s disheartening ... This is a country that wasn’t threatening anybody."

Lehman also said Russia's war has impacted Kentucky through, for example, higher gas prices and its effect on global logistics. The shipping industry is important here with Amazon's hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Louisville's UPS Worldport.

"I think it's just absolutely naïve to think you can be an isolationist at this time in world history," he said. "Having strong friendships with democratic countries that support each other – it's important to our prosperity, it's important to our security.”

Asked about the war, Massie told The Courier Journal via email:

"Avoiding nuclear war in Europe is a priority for me, yet the state department and media have convinced many representatives to pursue a dangerous path of escalating involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. Kentuckians are rightfully concerned that we’re spending more on Ukraine than we are on roads and bridges."

Massie voted against the $1.2 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure law Congress passed last year, which Biden's administration estimates will provide at least $5 billion for Kentucky highway and bridge projects.

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The economy and inflation

Massie pointed to "inflation and the faltering economy" as this fall's biggest issue.

“Two years ago, I warned that the policies of printing money and paying people not to work would eventually cause shortages and inflation. Today people are paying the consequences of those misguided policies as they watch the values of their retirements evaporate and the purchasing power of their paychecks diminish. When Republicans take the majority, we should reduce spending intelligently by passing separate bills for each issue."

Rising costs due to inflation have been particularly problematic this year, and the U.S. economy shrank in 2022's first two quarters. The job market has been strong, though, with low unemployment.

Lehman said he talks to voters about inflation, though "it doesn't seem to be at the top of a lot of people's minds."

It's tough, he said, because Congress can't control some factors that worsen inflation, such as the economic impacts of Russia's war.

He'd favor scaling back some federal "discretionary spending" amid higher inflation but said some investments remain worthwhile. “I don’t think it’s helpful to hold back on investing in things that will have long-term effects like, let’s say, the infrastructure bill."

The opioid crisis

“Without a doubt, the opioid epidemic is very much at the top of the list of what people around the district are asking me about," said Lehman, who co-founded Koligo Therapeutics, a company that developed a treatment for pancreatitis that could help people get pain relief without prescribed opioids.

Overdose deaths in Kentucky increased again in 2021, with 2,250 lives lost, largely due to the opioid fentanyl.

Law enforcement, including security efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border, can aid solutions, Lehman said, but addressing it through America's medical systems is most important. There must be a serious, widespread effort to reduce the high demand for drugs by treating people for addiction and preventing more patients from getting addicted.

If elected, he'd push for better funding and reimbursements for organizations that provide such treatment.

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Asked about the crisis, Massie said via email: "The most consequential thing Congress can do to address the opioid crisis is to secure the southern border, but democrats refuse to even acknowledge this administration has lost operational control there."

As Courier Journal reporting shows, a lot of fentanyl and other drugs in Kentucky and the U.S. come from Mexican cartels, especially Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG.

If Republicans win the House, Massie indicated he'll use his spot on the House Judiciary Committee to hold Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas "accountable for his inattention to this crisis."

Reach reporter Morgan Watkins at mwatkins@courierjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter: @morganwatkins26.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie vs. Matt Lehman: 3 issues in Congress race