Rep. Andy Barr has endorsed Trump-backed primary challenger Ed Gallrein over his longtime colleague Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky 4th Congressional District.

The move comes as Barr is seeking the GOP nomination to the U.S. Senate to fill Sen. Mitch McConnell’s shoes against former Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Lexington tech entrepreneur Nate Morris.

Barr and Massie were in the same congressional class, both elected to their seats in 2012.

Thirty minutes after Barr’s endorsement, a spokesperson for Morris sent a statement to the Herald-Leader announcing his support for Gallrein.

“I’ve said repeatedly President Trump won a historic mandate in Kentucky and he needs allies he can trust in the House and Senate to deliver his agenda,” Morris wrote. “I’m proud to support Ed Gallrein for Congress and look forward to working with him when he’s in the House and I’m in the Senate to deliver the MAGA agenda.”

Republican strategist T.J. Litafik said the endorsements are likely a play at President Donald Trump, who has yet to endorse in the Kentucky GOP primary for U.S. Senate.

“This race is largely predicated on who’s the ‘Trump candidate,’” he said.

For Barr, that “underscores how serious” he is about supporting Trump, Litafik, who supports Barr but does not work for the campaign, said.

“There’s probably not a race in America that means more to Donald Trump personally than that one,” Litafik said of the 4th District match-up.

“I think (Barr’s endorsement) has more to do with Trump (than the electorate), and quite frankly, from what I have seen since the primary has formed, not many Thomas Massie core supporters were aligning with Andy Barr anyway,” he added.

Meanwhile, Morris’ whole campaign revolves around trying to secure the Trump endorsement, he said.

“That doesn’t surprise me because, once Barr made the endorsement, I think that pretty much forced Morris to do the same,” Litafik said.

Trump endorsed Gallrein in the fall, when the former state senate candidate and veteran launched his run against Massie.

Barr underscored his support for Trump in a press release touting his endorsement.

“Northern Kentucky needs a leader who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump and always fight for the MAGA agenda,” Barr said. “Ed Gallrein is an American hero — a Navy SEAL, a fifth-generation farmer, and a small business owner — who has spent his life defending this country.

“Ed will never side with AOC or the radical-left against President Trump. He is exactly the kind of conservative warrior we need in Congress, and I’m proud to endorse him.”

Massie initially responded to Barr’s news calling him “swampy” and claiming it was a “desperate political stunt by Barr to get Trump’s attention.”

In a statement addressing both Barr and Morris’ endorsements, Massie responded curtly.

“Those guys endorsing Woke Eddie isn’t about my race,” Massie wrote. “It’s about their campaigns.”

The Cameron campaign did not immediately respond to a Herald-Leader inquiry about who he supported in the race.

A recent poll of 523 likely Kentucky Republican voters showed Barr with a slight advantage over Cameron and Morris in a clear third place, making gains from previous polling performances.

Here’s how Republican voters responded in the Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 survey, broken down by percentage, when asked who they would vote for if the primary were held today:

•Barr: 24%

•Cameron: 21%

•Morris: 14%

•Undecided: 38%

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