First District U.S. Rep. James Comer (R) says he is ready to again run for governor if Gov. Matt Bevin doesn’t file his candidacy papers.
Comer said Bevin’s polling “numbers are really bad,” and if Bevin decides not to run for reelection he’s ready to file candidacy papers, according to media reports.
“It’s less than two weeks now until the filing deadline,” Comer said, “The governor has repeatedly said that he’s going to run again. His numbers are really bad. He has yet to file. I will continue to say the ball’s in his court.”
In a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy in mid-December, Bevin’s job approval rating was only 38 percent, with 53 percent of Kentuckians disapproving of his performance. Those numbers are down from a year ago when his approval rating was 45 percent.
Comer, who lost to Bevin in the 2015 GOP primary by less than 100 votes, says he’s received many calls from across the state encouraging him, even if Bevin runs for reelection.
“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” Comer said.
In 2011, Comer was elected Agriculture Commissioner and was the only Republican to win election to a statewide executive office during that election cycle. He had the highest percentage of the vote of any candidate on the ballot.
The deadline to file candidacy papers is January 29.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
