Background
Comer, James R. was born on August 19, 1972.
Comer, James R. was born on August 19, 1972.
Bachelor magna cum laude, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green.
He previously served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2000 to 2012. From 2011 to 2015, Comer was the only Republican holding a non-federal statewide elected office in Kentucky. Comer sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Kentucky in the 2015 election.
Comer is a native of Tompkinsville, Kentucky.
He received a bachelor"s degree in agriculture from Western Kentucky University. In college, he served as President of the Kentucky Future Farmers of America.
After college, he started a 2,300 acres (950 ha) farm with his family. He also served as a director of a local bank for twelve years.
Early political career
He served as President of the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce from 1999 until his 2000 election to the Kentucky House of Representatives at the age of 27.
He served in the House until 2012, when he became Commissioner of Agriculture. In 2011, Comer ran for the position of Agriculture Commissioner. The incumbent, Richie Farmer, was term limited.
Comer had the highest percentage of the vote of any candidate on the ballot.
He raised $606,766 while his opponent raised $204,287. He took office on January 2012 and is eligible for re-election in 2015.
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. Shortly after taking office, Comer labeled the legalization of industrialized hemp as his top priority.
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.
His running mate is State Senator Christian McDaniel. Comer was 83 votes behind businessman Matt Bevin in the May 19, 2015 primary election. The Associated Press, referring to the race a "virtual tie", did not called the race in favor of either candidate.
In addition, Comer had refused to concede and stated that he would ask for a recanvass.
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. Upon completion of the recanvass, Grimes announced that Bevin remained 83 votes ahead of Comer.
Grimes also stated that should Comer want a full recount, it would require a court order from the Franklin Circuit Court. On May 29, Comer announced he would not request a recount and conceded the nomination to Bevin.
Member of Monroe County Farm Bureau, Monroe County Chamber of C. (former president).