Why is Kentucky the only state to elect true libertarians

[Agafin]

So after reading that only one republican voted against Iron Dome funding, I went to look who it was, and to my surprise, it is a Kentuckian representative (Thomas Massie). And looking further, he seems to vote against spending of an kind, any foreign intervention, any reduction in civil liberties (even those that are necessary in a functional country). In other words, he is a libertarian extremist and very consistent at that. It's strange that he, and Rand Paul somehow managed to be elected in this same state.

So why Kentucky? I always saw this state as a bigger version of West Virginia, that is, very conservative on social issues but more populist on economic ones. I expect to see libertarians be elected from Wyoming or something but not here? Can somehow explain to me why a relatively poor state like Kentucky can keep voting for libertarians?

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

First of all, Massie and Paul are not really "libertarian" in any real sense of the world.

But nevertheless, the answer to your question is that Kentucky is one of the least educated states in the USA. Only 25.13% of the population age 25+ has a college degree. As a result of this lack of education, many Kentucky voters are vulnerable to being misled by "libertarian" propaganda, and due to lack of knowledge are unable to defend themselves, so they get victimized. West Virginia is also similarly vulnerable, but it just hasn't happened there yet. Part of the reason for that, at least on the Congressional level, is WV is a smaller state (so there are fewer Congressional races where a candidate might emerge who calls themselves "libertarian") and also it was more recently more Democratic than Kentucky. It probably will happen sooner or later there though.

Voters in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana would also be similarly vulnerable to "libertarian" chicanery, but the African American population is too high in those states. "Libertarianism" is less appealing to white Republican voters in those states because "liberarianism" is nominally non-racist. White Republicans in those states need a clearly and openly racist ideology, so they turn instead to regular conservatism and religious conservatism. Also, a large part of the non-college educated population in those states is African American, and "libertarian" indoctrination is not effective against African Americans because the existence of slavery contradicts the "libertarian" myth of the self-made man of the idealized mythical "libertarian" frontier past.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Every R even Paul and Bevin are Mainstream except Mcconnell

[Battista Minola 1616]

The correct answer is that Kentucky does not elect true libertarians (nor does any other state for that matter).

I am not sure why Paul's and Massie's brand of conservatism may be particularly popular in Kentucky, but I suspect it has something to do with "frontier culture" and perhaps isolationist leanings.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

Is it really surprising if you know anything about Appalachian history? This is the place that had the Hatfields and McCoys.

[Pro-Israel, anti-Bibi]

Thomas Massie is not a 'libertarian extremist', but his commitment to consistency in opposing all types of foreign aid is commendable when taken against your typical "welfare is bad except the military" but "I love small government" conservative.

[PSOL]

The only propertarian elected to the US federal government so far is from Indiana. The Paul family are just Lost Causers.

[Alben Barkley]

Rand Paul is a complete fake and a hypocrite, not at all a "true libertarian."

Massie might be closer to one yet he's more reprehensible overall. I hate him more than anyone else in Congress.

[Pericles]

Surely there's just something going on within the state Republican Party, and once they get past the primary they're elected because they're Republicans?

[Santander]

Just a reminder that Thomas Massie is elected primarily by suburban voters, not country rubes. And unlike the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, which is one of the most liberal parts of the state, well-off suburbanites in Kentucky aren't on the federal government gravy train.

[Alben Barkley]

Surely there's just something going on within the state Republican Party, and once they get past the primary they're elected because they're Republicans?

There does seem to be a particular brand of faux-"libertarianism" that appeals to the Northern Kentuckians in Massie's district specifically; that's not only the home of Massie (well, he's a carpetbagger from MA so his adopted home), but also of Bevin and Savannah Maddox (very annoying Massie-esque state rep who I think is gonna run for governor).

My theory is it's because the people there still love the "gimme tax cuts, f--k you got mine" right-wing economic message, but are a little less comfortable with open displays of ignorance and bigotry. Elsewhere in the state, the GOP is for the most part still fairly mainstream/old school (Mitch McConnell, Hal Rogers, etc.). Surprisingly, I can't even really think of any insanely Trumpy politicians who have had a lot of success here locally, even deep in Trump Country in Eastern Kentucky. Bevin tried to be one during his re-election campaign, and it likely cost him both the race as a whole and those Northern Kentucky suburbs in Massie's district. AND he still lost those ancestral Dem Trump counties in Eastern Kentucky coal country.

Just a reminder that Thomas Massie is elected primarily by suburban voters, not country rubes. And unlike the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, which is one of the most liberal parts of the state, well-off suburbanites in Kentucky aren't on the federal government gravy train.

That's exclusively true of Northern Kentucky (i.e. Massie's district). As you probably know, Fayette County has seen a massive swing to the left in recent years consistent with suburban trends nationwide, if not even more extreme than in most other places. Even the surrounding areas like Franklin and Woodford County are slowly but surely getting more purple. (Franklin might even be straight-up blue soon.) Also even the suburbs in Northern Kentucky still vote way left of most rural areas of the state now, which of course was not always true at all. In fact they really didn't vote that far right of places like Jefferson County, WV. (Which was 54-44 R for Trump vs 58-40 Trump in Campbell County, KY.)

In any case the Cincy suburbs have long been among the most conservative in the nation, so it's not surprising that they are slower to respond to these trends; it doesn't mean they necessarily will stay too R forever though. After all, Cincy itself (i.e. Hamilton County, OH) used to be very R for an urban county; not so much now. Might take a while to spread farther outside the county but I could see it happening eventually.

[Santander]

There does seem to be a particular brand of faux-"libertarianism" that appeals to the Northern Kentuckians in Massie's district specifically; that's not only the home of Massie (well, he's a carpetbagger from MA so his adopted home), but also of Bevin and Savannah Maddox (very annoying Massie-esque state rep who I think is gonna run for governor).

Despite his name, Massie was born in WV and went to high school in the 4th district, as did his wife. He can be accused of many things, but he's not a carpetbagger. He is a Masshole, just not that kind.

[Shaula🏳️‍⚧️]

Texas elected Ron Paul, who is more of a libertarian than Massie