U.S. House, Kentucky 1st Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Kentucky's 1st Congressional District?
James Comer has the strongest record in Kentucky's 1st Congressional District. James Comer scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. James Comer's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Drew Williams (7 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
James Comer
On the ballot as James R. Comer
67 / 100
Public evidence on 15 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 65
Democratic
Drew Williams
On the ballot as John "Drew" Williams
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
James Comer
- On the record2025-03-20
In March 2025, after protesters outside his Paducah office asked for a town hall, his spokesperson said he did not plan on "holding therapy sessions for left-wing activists."
Sources: Spectrum News 1, Mar. 21, 2025, WPSD Local 6, Mar. 2025
- On the record2023
As Oversight Committee chair, led the House Republican investigation of President Joe Biden's family business dealings in 2023 and 2024.
Source: NBC News, Aug. 31, 2023
- On the record2021-01-07
Voted Nay on the January 2021 objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes, which Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy supported.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
- Credit2018-12-20
Sponsored the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 (H.R. 5485); its provisions were enacted in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, signed Dec. 20, 2018.
- Credit2012
As newly elected agriculture commissioner, requested a state audit of the department under his Republican predecessor Richie Farmer; the auditor announced findings of abuses in spring 2012.
Drew Williams
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
James Comer. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed with the House Clerk on Aug. 11, 2026 after an extension. Electronic periodic transaction reports checked for 2020 and 2025 were filed within 45 days. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077651, House Committee on Ethics site search for Comer, FEC administrative fines search
Drew Williams. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure is on the Clerk index. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
James Comer. Voted Nay on the January 2021 objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes, which the Republican leader and whip supported. As agriculture commissioner in 2012 he requested an audit of his Republican predecessor's department.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, Louisville Public Media, Mar. 25, 2014
Drew Williams. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
James Comer. Spoke at the Aug. 1, 2026 Fancy Farm Picnic on the same program as his opponent. In March 2025 his office said he did not plan to hold in-person town halls requested by protesters.
Sources: Spectrum News 1, July 30, 2026, Spectrum News 1, Mar. 21, 2025
Drew Williams. Spoke at the Fancy Farm Picnic political speaking on Aug. 1, 2026, on the same program as Rep. James Comer. No general election debate found.
Source: Spectrum News 1, July 30, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
James Comer. Kentucky House 2001 to 2012, agriculture commissioner 2012 to 2015 and in the U.S. House since 2016. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, James Comer, House Committee on Ethics site search for Comer
Drew Williams. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
James Comer. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electoral votes and is not on the Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus list. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Drew Williams. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
James Comer. In the U.S. House since November 2016, after 11 years in the Kentucky House and a term as state agriculture commissioner.
Drew Williams. Has built boat docks in his family's business since age 14, working in Kentucky and four surrounding states; Murray State University history graduate (2016). Has not held public office.
Sources: Campaign site, Meet Drew, Ballotpedia, Drew Williams
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
James Comer. Chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and publishes issue pages; sponsored the Hemp Farming Act, whose provisions were enacted in the 2018 farm bill.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, GovTrack, H.R. 5485 (115th Congress)
Drew Williams. Publishes detailed legislative plans, for example a drug pricing plan with named bills such as an Essential Medicines Cap Act and a Global Price Fairness Act with stated price caps.
Source: Campaign site, Drug Pricing
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
James Comer. Offers a newsletter, publishes issue pages and spoke at Fancy Farm. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Drew Williams. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025, publishes about 30 policy pages, and spoke at Fancy Farm.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Drew Williams, Campaign site, Drug Pricing
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
James Comer. Born in Carthage, Tennessee; chaired the Monroe County Republican Party, co-owns a Kentucky cattle company since 1994 and served 11 years in the Kentucky House. FEC by-state contribution totals were not retrievable at check time.
Source: Ballotpedia, James Comer
Drew Williams. Born in Paducah, graduated from Marshall County High School and says he has spent his entire life in Western Kentucky. FEC by-state contribution totals were not retrievable at check time.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Drew Williams, Campaign site, Meet Drew
Management
Can build and run an organization.
James Comer. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine. Ran the Kentucky Department of Agriculture as commissioner from 2012 to 2015.
Sources: FEC candidate page, Ballotpedia, James Comer
Drew Williams. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Source: FEC candidate page
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
James Comer. Legislative Effectiveness Score 3.18 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 2.43, meets expectations. Primary sponsor of five enacted bills, including the D.C. RFK stadium campus act (118th) and a 2025 Paducah land bill.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Drew Williams. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
James Comer. Missed 55 of 5,126 roll call votes, 1.1 percent, from November 2016 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Drew Williams. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
James Comer. Runs four district offices (Madisonville, Paducah, Tompkinsville, Danville) with a toll-free line and lists community office hours and help with federal agencies.
Source: Office site, Offices
Drew Williams. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
James Comer. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.91989 for the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 312 of 436, below zero but above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Drew Williams. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
James Comer. As agriculture commissioner he requested a state audit of the department's prior administration in 2012; the auditor's findings were announced that spring.
Drew Williams. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Kentucky's 1st Congressional District?
James Comer has the strongest record in Kentucky's 1st Congressional District. James Comer scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. James Comer's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Drew Williams (7 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Kentucky's 1st Congressional District in 2026?
James R. Comer (Republican, incumbent), John "Drew" Williams (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is James Comer a good candidate for Congress?
James Comer scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 15 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 65 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Drew Williams a good candidate for Congress?
Drew Williams has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Kentucky race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Kentucky 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.