James Comer proudly serves Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District in Congress and is running for reelection in 2020. Originally elected in 2016, the 1st District covers 35 counties from the Mississippi River to Central Kentucky.
Comer grew up in rural Monroe County and later attended Western Kentucky University to study his lifelong passion of agriculture. Upon graduation in 1993, Comer entered the business world, taking out a loan to purchase his first farm and dive into his career. He went on to serve six terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives, earning a reputation for being a conservative, pro-business legislator. During his first term, he was named National Republican Freshman Legislator of the Year.
Upon his election as Kentucky’s Commissioner of Agriculture in 2011, Comer took on corruption and cleaned up a Kentucky Department of Agriculture beset by scandal and a lack of accountability. His work to root out fraud and wasteful spending, efforts to return money to taxpayers and grow Kentucky’s agricultural economy received bipartisan acclaim. He promoted rural economic development by spearheading the successful effort to legalize industrial hemp in the commonwealth and developed new branding initiatives for Kentucky farmers.
He currently serves as the Republican Leader of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, where he aggressively advocates for reducing waste, fraud and abuse in government.
In his re-election bid, he is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and the National Right to Life Committee. Based on his conservative voting record, he was recently recognized with the American Conservative Union’s “Award for Conservative Excellence.”
This record of conservatism, accomplishment and bipartisanship is exactly what Comer has brought to Washington D.C. In the 115th Congress, he played a pivotal role on the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Committee, paving the way for passing a farm bill that provides certainty and stability for American farmers. For these efforts, he was named Outstanding New Member of Congress by the American Farm Bureau Federation in January 2019.
Congressman Comer has sponsored and passed legislation aimed at lifting burdensome regulations, bolstering government accountability and transparency and creating opportunity for American families. He remains a fierce advocate for balancing the federal budget, rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, implementing business-friendly policies.
In addition to serving as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, he is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor.
He is married to TJ Comer and they have three children – Reagan, Harlan and Aniston.