James Comer
RepublicanU.S. Representative, KY-1| Age | 53 (b. 1972-08-19) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2016-11-14 (~9 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Baptist (member of Elkhorn Baptist Church, Midway, Kentucky; baptized at First Baptist Church of Tompkinsville) |
| Education | Graduated Monroe County High School (Tompkinsville, KY) in 1990; B.S. in Agriculture from Western Kentucky University (1993) |
| Prior occupation | Farmer/farm owner-operator (James Comer, Jr. Farms; co-owner of Comer Land & Cattle Co.); director of South Central Bank for 12 years; president of Monroe County Chamber of Commerce (1999-2000) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Carthage, Tennessee |
| Marital status | Married — Tamara Jo "TJ" Comer |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Tompkinsville, Kentucky |
Pending research: languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2000 |
| Previous offices | Kentucky House of Representatives, 53rd district (2001-2012) · Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture (2012-2016) |
| Committees | Committee on Oversight and Accountability (Chair, 118th-119th Congress) · Committee on Education and the Workforce |
| Caucuses | Republican Study Committee · Second Amendment Caucus · Congressional Western Caucus · Rare Disease Caucus · Congressional Coalition on Adoption |
| Leadership | Chair, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability (January 2023-present) · Ranking Member, House Oversight Committee (June 2020-January 2023) |
| Ideology | Consistently conservative voting record; 90% rating from the American Conservative Union (2019); 87% on Heritage Action scorecard (119th Congress) |
| Signature legislation | Hemp Farming Act of 2018 (co-sponsor; provisions legalizing hemp included in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018) · COVID-19 Child Nutrition Response Act (2020) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $2,167,025–$7,554,998 (2023) · estimate
| Comer-Lee-Hays Farm (240 acres, Red Boiling Springs, TN) | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Comer-West Farm (110 acres, Red Boiling Springs, TN) | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Graham Farm (285 acres, Monroe County, KY) | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Kirkpatrick Farm (301 acres, Monroe County, KY) | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Richardson Farm (450 acres, jointly owned, Tompkinsville, KY) | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Farm Team Properties, LLC (land/real estate company, Kentucky) | business_owned · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
Top industries: Agribusiness
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.