James Comer
U.S. House · KY-1 · Republicans · since 2025
alsoCandidate for U.S. House · KY-1
Biography
Overview
James Richardson Comer Jr. is a Republican who has represented Kentucky's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2016. He previously served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2000 to 2012 and as Kentucky's agriculture commissioner from 2012 to 2016. A native of Carthage, Tennessee, Comer graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in agriculture and owns farmland in Kentucky.
Career
Comer was instrumental in legalizing hemp in Kentucky as agriculture commissioner, growing the state's hemp crops from 33 acres in 2014 to 1,700 acres by 2015. He was an original cosponsor of the Hemp Farming Act, which legalized hemp nationwide and was included in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. During COVID-19, he co-introduced the COVID-19 Child Nutrition Response Act, which was signed into law in March 2020. As Oversight Committee Chair, he has conducted investigations into President Joe Biden and his family, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Governor Tim Walz. However, as of August 2024, his investigation into Biden found no evidence that Biden was directly involved in or profited from his family's business activities.
Prior political experience
Comer won election to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2000 at age 27 following the retirement of incumbent Billy Polston. In 2015, he ran in a very close race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, finishing 83 votes behind Matt Bevin after a recanvass; he chose not to request a full recount. In 2016, Comer won the Republican primary for Kentucky's 1st congressional district with 60.6% of the vote. He won both a special election and regular election on November 8, 2016, defeating Democratic nominee Samuel L. Gaskins with over 72% of the vote in the heavily Republican district.
Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ideology
Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)
Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)
Campaigns targeting James Comer
No active campaigns target James Comer right now.
Start a campaign targeting James ComerOfficeholding history
| Term | Seat | Term dates | Termination | Predecessor | Successor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | U.S. House KY-1 | 2025–present | In progress | James Comer | — |
| 5th | U.S. House KY-1 | 2023–2025 | Term ended | James Comer | James Comer |
| 4th | U.S. House KY-1 | 2021–2023 | Term ended | James Comer | James Comer |
| 3rd | U.S. House KY-1 | 2019–2021 | Term ended | James Comer | James Comer |
| 2nd | U.S. House KY-1 | 2017–2019 | Term ended | James Comer | James Comer |
| 1st | U.S. House KY-1 | 2016–2017 | Term ended | — | James Comer |
Committee assignments
- HouseChair· 2025–present
- Workforce ProtectionsHouse· 2025–present
- Health, Employment, Labor, and PensionsHouse· 2025–present
- House· 2025–present
Current term legislation
Bills sponsored this term8
- H.R. 8463
To establish governmentwide requirements for pre-payment fraud prevention actions, to provide the U.S. Treasury appropriate data resources, to facilitate participation in governmentwide anti-fraud data sharing, and for other purposes.
Apr 23, 2026REPORTED - H.R. 8464
To amend title 31, United States Code, to authorize pausing and segmenting payments, and for other purposes.
Apr 23, 2026REPORTED - H.R. 7248
MARINA Act
Jan 27, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 4366
Save Local Business Act
Jul 14, 2025PASSED_HOUSE - H.R. 1515
GOOD Act
Feb 24, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 1276
To remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky.
Feb 13, 2025REPORTED - H.R. 1295
Reorganizing Government Act of 2025
Feb 13, 2025INTRODUCED - H.R. 473
SHOW UP Act of 2025
Jan 16, 2025IN_COMMITTEE
Bills cosponsored this term10
- H.R. 7024
Hemp Planting Predictability Act
Jan 13, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 7010
To amend the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2026, to delay the implementation of amendments made by such Act to the hemp production provisions of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.
Jan 12, 2026IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 6610
Pharmacists Fight Back [in Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans Act]
Dec 11, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 6609
Pharmacists Fight Back in Medicare and Medicaid Act
Dec 11, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 6332
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10660 Page Avenue in Fairfax, Virginia, as the "Congressman Gerald E. Connolly Post Office Building".
Dec 1, 2025REPORTED - H.R. 5874
Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act
Oct 31, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 5822
Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025
Oct 24, 2025IN_COMMITTEE - H.R. 5750
EQUALS Act of 2025
Oct 14, 2025INTRODUCED - H.R. 5749
Official Time Reporting Act
Oct 14, 2025REPORTED - H.R. 5578
Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025
Sep 26, 2025REPORTED
Elections
| Year | Seat | Result | Vote share | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | U.S. House KY-1 | Pending | 74.72% |
|