Welcoming Comer

Congressman James Comer visited Grayson, last Thursday, May 7, and spoke with a large group at the Carter County Courthouse.

“He’s making the District 18 tour today,” Senator Robin Webb said, introducing Comer to a group of his constituents.

Those in attendance included other government figures such as State Senator Greg Elkins, County Attorney for Boyd County Curtis Dodson, and of course Webb herself.

“I just want to introduce my good friend,” she said, acknowledging their friendship went back to the year 2000 when he joined the General Assembly.

Comer currently represents Kentucky’s First congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and has served in Congress since 2016. This is in addition to previously serving in the Kentucky House of Representatives and as Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner.

“I want to thank everyone for coming out,” Comer said. “I have been traveling around the state, and I don’t think it’s any secret what we have on our minds. There is a governor’s race coming up in 2027.”

Comer said that in 2026 there is a senate race and a lot of local races, but the governor’s race is something he is very interested in.

“I have every intention of running for governor,” Comer told those present.

He said that he plans to formally announce in December of 2026, but during the intervening six months he plans to visit every county.

“I’ll be listening to people and meeting people,” Comer said. “We’ll meet with a lot of the local elected officials, community activists, and people that are involved in the business community.”

“You have to listen and learn.” Comer continued. “I’m going to be meeting with a lot of the school superintendents and teachers all over the state. Public education is a huge issue. So, we are doing everything we can to learn about what we can do to move Kentucky forward.”

Comer told those gathered that all of the great things that have been happening in Kentucky is because of the state legislature.

“And when I listen to the state legislators talk, one of the complaints is that there is no communication line with Governor Beshear,” Comer said. “But if we had a governor that worked closely with our state legislators, I think we could accomplish any goal.”

“I think we have the greatest state in America,” Comer said. “But I believe we could do better.”

One of the ways to do better, he said, was to keep Kentucky’s “best and brightest” in the state.

“In order to do that we have to focus on economic development. We have to focus on attracting good paying jobs that provide good benefits,” Comer explained. “That gives these young people as many opportunities – if not more – in our home area than they would get in other states.”

Grayson Mayor Troy Combs said that he appreciated hearing Comer talk about how he wanted to work with local officials.

“And the fact that I heard him say he wanted to work with local tourism commissions is exciting to hear,” Mayor Combs said. “And it is exciting that we have someone in congress who knows about what is going on here in our town. Promoting tourism is a big part of what Carter County is trying to do, either at the county level or city level.”

“The City of Grayson is a nonpartisan entity,” Combs said. “But any time we have a dedicated public official from the United States Government, we want them to feel welcome here.”

Mayor Combs presented Congressman James Comer with a key to the city, with the highest honor and recognition of his distinguished service, leadership, and commitment.

Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com