EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) will support Rep. James Comer (R-KY) if he launches a campaign for Kentucky governor, calling him a “good candidate” to lead the GOP ticket and predicting that he may end up clearing the field in next year’s GOP primary.
“I think he’s done a great job as oversight chairman, and there is a lot of discussion of him running,” Paul told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. “And right now, enough discussion that I haven’t heard of any other Republicans really considering it.”
Paul did not want to get ahead of a campaign announcement — Comer plans to launch his bid shortly after the midterm elections — but said in a brief interview that Comer would have his endorsement, citing his years of experience on Capitol Hill and in Kentucky politics.
Comer has been one of the most visible House Republicans for the last four years as chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, spearheading the high-profile investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and an impeachment inquiry of former President Joe Biden.
Before he arrived in Washington a decade ago, Comer served as a state legislator and then Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner.
“I would think he would have a great shot,” said Paul, who has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 2011. He added that there is a “reasonable chance” Comer runs for the GOP nomination uncontested.
The Democratic field already has two major candidates: Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and former state House leader Rocky Adkins. Each served under Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), who is term-limited.
On the GOP side, Paul’s prediction is guided by a desire among Kentucky Republicans to avoid the sort of primary fight that helped Beshear, the rare Democrat to win statewide in Kentucky, take office in the first place.
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So far, Secretary of State Michael Adams, once thought to be a top contender for the post, has taken his name out of consideration and endorsed Comer in August.
Comer, for his part, has not been shy about his desire to run and has been fanning speculation for well over a year. He first ran for governor in 2015, losing the Republican nomination by fewer than 100 votes.