James Comer (politician)

In 2000, Comer was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives at the age of 27.[7]

Comer speaking to members of the Kentucky National Guard in 2013

In 2011, Comer ran for the position of Agriculture Commissioner. The incumbent, Richie Farmer, was term-limited.[8] In the election, Comer was the only Republican to win election to a statewide executive office,[9] and worked with a team of Democratic officials and under a Democratic governor.[10] Comer had the highest percentage of the vote of any candidate on the ballot. He raised $606,766 while his opponent raised $204,287.[11] He took office in January 2012 and one of his first actions in office was teaming up with Democratic Auditor Adam Edelen to investigate his Republican predecessor's ethical issues while in office.[12]

That year Comer became the chairman of the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission,[13] and shortly after taking office, Comer labeled the legalization of industrialized hemp as his top priority,[14][15] and was "instrumental in getting the hemp industry up and running,"[16] including the founding of several pilot programs[17] in an effort to restart the industrial hemp industry of Kentucky. His efforts also included filing suit against the DEA, which resulted in the DEA allowing hemp seeds to be delivered to farmers in Kentucky for the first new crops.[18] Between 2014 and 2015, the hemp crops of Kentucky grew from 33 to 1700 acres.[19] Comer also advocated for national hemp deregulation in Washington DC.[20]

Comer also founded the Kentucky Proud Farm to Campus program,[21] and created a mobile science centers program for primary and secondary school students to learn about agricultural sciences.[22]

Comer in 2014

On August 2, 2014, during the annual Fancy Farm picnic, Comer announced he would seek the Republican nomination for governor of Kentucky in the 2015 election.[23] His running mate was State Senator Christian McDaniel.[24] At the conclusion of voting in the May 19, 2015 primary election, Comer was 83 votes behind businessman Matt Bevin. The Associated Press, referring to the race as a "virtual tie", did not call the race in favor of either candidate. In addition, Comer refused to concede and stated that he would ask for a recanvass.[25] The request for recanvass was filed with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office on May 20, 2015 with Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes ordering the recanvass to occur at 9:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, May 28, 2015.[26][27] Upon completion of the recanvass, Grimes announced that Bevin remained 83 votes ahead of Comer.[28] Grimes also stated that should Comer want a full recount, it would require a court order from the Franklin Circuit Court.[29] On May 29, Comer announced he would not request a recount and conceded the nomination to Bevin.[30]

In 2016, Comer entered the Republican primary election for the 1st congressional district of Kentucky against two other competitors. Prior to the primary, he was endorsed by both the National Rifle Association and the US Chamber of Commerce.[31] In the end he won the primary with 60.6% of the vote.[28] Comer was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Kentucky's 1st congressional district with 72.6% of the vote,[16] Since Whitfield had resigned in September, Comer actually ran in two elections on November 8–a special election for the last two months of Whitfield's 11th term, and a regular election for a full two-year term. Comer won both elections over Democratic opponent Samuel L. Gaskins, garnering over 72 percent of the vote.[32] He was sworn in soon after the results were certified, giving him two months' more seniority over the rest of the 2017 freshman class.

Comer being sworn in by Speaker Paul Ryan

During the first few months of his tenure, Comer held several town hall meetings, where he discussed the Congress's early platform.[33] He also partnered with Murray State University to form the Congressman James Comer Congressional Agriculture Fellowship program,[34] and has advocated for the reform of agricultural legislation.[35] He has also criticized the regulatory policies of Barack Obama,[36] and supported the early domestic policies and actions of Donald Trump. Comer is a social conservative on "same-sex marriage and abortion".[37] In terms of foreign policy, Comer believes that the trade embargo on Cuba should be lifted.[38]

In December 2017, Comer voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[39] After the bill's passing, Comer stated: "I am proud to support this critical part of President Trump's pro-growth agenda that will fulfill this promise to the American people who have struggled under the weight of Washington bureaucrats for far too long."[40]

Comer was an original cosponsor of the Hemp Farming Act, which legalizes hemp nationwide and removes federal regulations on the crop.[41] The bill was later included in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and signed into law by President Trump on December 20, 2018.[42] Comer was a member of the conference committee which negotiated the final version of the legislation [43]

At the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak, Comer teamed up with Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon to introduce legislation which would protect access to school lunches for school districts throughout the country who had to close down in light of the coronavirus.[44] The COVID–19 Child Nutrition Response Act allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to waive requirements for children to gather at schools in order for school officials and food service personnel to distribute reimbursable, nutritious meals. It also provides local school officials with discretion over substitutions for meal components if supply or procurement is disrupted.[45] When introducing the bill, Comer noted that "this bill is a critical step toward ensuring that our students maintain access to the school meals they rely on for their health and well-being".[44] After clearing both the House and Senate, President Trump signed the legislation into law on March 18.[45]

• Committee on Education and Labor
  • Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment
• Committee on Oversight and Reform
  • As Ranking Member of the full committee, Comer may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research
  • Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture

• Second Amendment Caucus

Comer supports the repeal of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare").[46]

In 2016, Comer called the Obama administration's final budget a "disaster in the making". He believes that federal spending must become "under control" to not create "mountains of debt".[46] In 2017, he voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which is anticipated to add an estimated $1.49 trillion to the national debt.[47]

Comer opposes paid parental leave for federal workers.[48]

Comer opposes amnesty and sanctuary cities. He supports Executive Order 13767, the building of a wall along the Mexico–U.S. border.[46]

Comer is pro-life.[46]

Comer supports declassifying marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic. He supports growing hemp. He says there is "simply not enough support for medical marijuana legalization across the board".[49]

Comer opposes same-sex marriage.[46] He also opposes banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and voted against the Equality Act in 2019.[50][51]