James Comer expects to announce a bid for Kentucky governor sometime in November.
The Republican congressman, who chairs the House Oversight Committee and represents Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District, stopped short of a formal announcement but left little doubt about his intentions. Speaking with the Daily Signal, Comer said: “I have not announced, but everything’s looking very positive that I will announce. We’re going to make a decision in the second or third week of November.”
Comer, 54, also suggested the Republican primary field looks thin at the moment. “There are some lower-tier Republicans that have filed or are going to file, but as far as someone with name ID that can either raise money or self-fund, I don’t see anyone,” he said. He added that the absence of major challengers may itself be a signal. “Right now, things look very encouraging, and I think the reason that nobody has filed is because they’re anticipating me filing and they’re going to support me.”
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As originally reported, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican who had been seen as a potential contender, announced last month at the Fancy Farm picnic that he would not seek the office. Adams threw his support to Comer directly. “The best thing I can do for my team is to call on all Republicans to join me in supporting James Comer to be our next governor,” Adams said.
This would not be Comer’s first run for the statehouse. He sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2015 while serving as Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner. He lost to Matt Bevin by just 83 votes after a re-canvass. Bevin won the general election that year. Comer went on to win a congressional seat in 2016 and has held it since, following more than a decade in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
For now, Comer is focused on his 2026 House reelection race and has said a formal gubernatorial announcement will likely come around December. “I plan on running for governor in 2027. It’s not official yet; it will probably be official somewhere around December,” he said earlier this year.
The 2027 race is an open seat. Democratic Governor Andy Beshear is barred by Kentucky’s two-consecutive-term limit from seeking a third straight term. Beshear, whose father Steve Beshear also served as governor, was first elected in 2019 and won reelection in 2023.
Kentucky leans heavily Republican in federal races. Donald Trump carried the state with 64.5 percent of the vote in 2024, compared to Kamala Harris’s 33.9 percent. Republicans also hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature and most statewide offices.
Governors races in Kentucky have historically been more competitive for Democrats despite those trends. But an open seat following two Democratic terms, in a state this red, sets up a favorable environment for whichever Republican emerges from the primary.
