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Kentucky's 1st Congressional District
Kentucky's 1st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives is represented by James Comer Jr. (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Kentucky representatives represented an average of 751,557 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 725,101 residents.
Elections
2024
See also: Kentucky's 1st Congressional District election, 2024
Kentucky's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)
Kentucky's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 1
Incumbent James Comer Jr. defeated Erin Marshall in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | James Comer Jr. (R) | 74.7 | 252,534 |
 | Erin Marshall (D) | 25.3 | 85,494 | |
| Total votes: 338,028 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Erin Marshall advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent James Comer Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1.
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 1
Incumbent James Comer Jr. defeated Jimmy Ausbrooks in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Comer Jr. (R) | 74.9 | 184,157 |
 | Jimmy Ausbrooks (D) | 25.1 | 61,701 | |
| Total votes: 245,858 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Jimmy Ausbrooks advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent James Comer Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- David Sharp (R)
2020
General election
General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 1
Incumbent James Comer Jr. defeated James Rhodes in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Comer Jr. (R) | 75.0 | 246,329 |
| James Rhodes (D) | 25.0 | 82,141 | ||
| Total votes: 328,470 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. James Rhodes advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent James Comer Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1.
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 1
Incumbent James Comer Jr. defeated Paul Walker in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Comer Jr. (R) | 68.6 | 172,167 |
 | Paul Walker (D) | 31.4 | 78,849 | |
| Total votes: 251,016 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1
Paul Walker defeated Alonzo Pennington in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Paul Walker | 81.2 | 75,148 |
 | Alonzo Pennington | 18.8 | 17,398 | |
| Total votes: 92,546 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1
Incumbent James Comer Jr. advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 1 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | James Comer Jr. |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Regular election
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Kentucky's 1st Congressional District seat was left open following incumbent Ed Whitfield's decision to retire. James Comer (R) defeated Sam Gaskins (D) and Terry McIntosh (Write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Comer defeated Jason Batts, Miles Caughey Jr., and Michael Pape in the Republican primary. On the other side of the aisle, Sam Gaskins ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The primary elections took place on May 17, 2016.[1][2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  James Comer |
72.6% | 216,959 | |
| Democratic | Sam Gaskins | 27.3% | 81,710 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.1% | 332 | |
| Total Votes | 299,001 | |||
| Source: Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
James Comer |
60.6% | 24,342 | ||
| Michael Pape | 23.3% | 9,357 | ||
| Jason Batts | 13.9% | 5,578 | ||
| Miles Caughey | 2.2% | 896 | ||
| Total Votes | 40,173 | |||
| Source: Kentucky State Board of Elections |
||||
Special election
Kentucky's 1st Congressional District held a special election to replace Ed Whitfield, who resigned on September 6, 2016. The election was held at the same time as the regular election on November 8, 2016. Since Whitfield resigned so late, no primary elections were held. Instead, the candidates competing in the regular election, James Comer (R) and Sam Gaskins (D), competed in the special election as well. Comer defeated Gaskins in the special election and served out the final two months of Whitfield's term.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Comer |
72.2% | 209,807 | |
| Democratic | Sam Gaskins | 27.8% | 80,813 | |
| Total Votes | 290,620 | |||
| Source: Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
2014
The 1st Congressional District of Kentucky held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Ed Whitfield (R) defeated challenger Charles Kendall Hatchett (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ed Whitfield Incumbent |
73.1% | 173,022 | |
| Democratic | Charles Kendall Hatchett | 26.9% | 63,596 | |
| Total Votes | 236,618 | |||
| Source: Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
2012
The 1st Congressional District of Kentucky held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Ed Whitfield was re-elected in the district.[5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ed Whitfield Incumbent |
69.6% | 199,956 | |
| Democratic | Charles Kendall Hatchett | 30.4% | 87,199 | |
| Total Votes | 287,155 | |||
| Source: Kentucky Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Ed Whitfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Charles Kendall Hatchett (D) in the general election.[6]
| U.S. House, Kentucky District 1 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ed Whitfield incumbent |
71.2% | 153,840 | |
| Democratic | Charles Kendall Hatchett | 28.8% | 62,090 | |
| Total Votes | 215,930 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Ed Whitfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Heather A. Ryan (D) and Charles K. Hatchett (Write-in) in the general election.[7]
| U.S. House, Kentucky District 1 General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ed Whitfield incumbent |
64.3% | 178,107 | |
| Democratic | Heather A. Ryan | 35.6% | 98,674 | |
| Write-in | Charles Kendall Hatchett | 0% | 5 | |
| Total Votes | 276,786 | |||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Ed Whitfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Tom Barlow (D) in the general election.[8]
| U.S. House, Kentucky District 1 General Election, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ed Whitfield incumbent |
59.6% | 123,618 | |
| Democratic | Tom Barlow | 40.4% | 83,865 | |
| Total Votes | 207,483 | |||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Ed Whitfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Billy R. Cartwright (D) and Tom Barlow (Write-in) in the general election.[9]
| U.S. House, Kentucky District 1 General Election, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ed Whitfield incumbent |
67.3% | 175,972 | |
| Democratic | Billy R. Cartwright | 32.6% | 85,229 | |
| Write-in | Tom Barlow | 0.1% | 186 | |
| Total Votes | 261,387 | |||
2002
On November 5, 2002, Ed Whitfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Klint Alexander (D) in the general election.[10]
| U.S. House, Kentucky District 1 General Election, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ed Whitfield incumbent |
65.3% | 117,600 | |
| Democratic | Klint Alexander | 34.7% | 62,617 | |
| Total Votes | 180,217 | |||
2000
On November 7, 2000, Ed Whitfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Brian S. Roy (D) in the general election.[11]
| U.S. House, Kentucky District 1 General Election, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ed Whitfield incumbent |
58% | 132,115 | |
| Democratic | Brian S. Roy | 42% | 95,806 | |
| Total Votes | 227,921 | |||
District map
Redistricting
2020-2021
Kentucky adopted new congressional district boundaries on January 20, 2022, after the general assembly overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) veto of legislation establishing the state’ new congressional map. Beshear vetoed Senate Bill 3 —the congressional redistricting legislation —on January 19, 2022. The vote to override the governor’s veto was 26-8 in the state Senate with 23 Republicans and three Democrats in favor and five Democrats and three Republicans opposed. The override vote was 64-24 in the state House, with all votes in favor by Republicans and 21 Democrats and three Republicans voting to sustain Beshear’s veto.[12][13][14]
Senate Bill 3 was introduced in the Kentucky State Senate on January 4, 2022. The Senate voted 28-4 in favor of the map on January 6 followed by the House voting 65-25 in favor on January 8.[15]
Greg Giroux of Bloomberg Government wrote that the "congressional map [is] designed to preserve a 5–1 Republican advantage in Kentucky’s U.S. House delegation." Giroux added, "The map most notably boosts Rep. Andy Barr (R), whose central 6th District in and around Lexington will become more Republican-friendly in part by transferring the state capital of Frankfort to the western 1st District of Rep. James Comer (R)."[16]
How does redistricting in Kentucky work? In Kentucky, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. District maps may be vetoed by the governor.[17]
Guidelines adopted in 1991 stipulate that congressional districts ought to be contiguous. In addition, county lines and communities of interest should be maintained if possible. These guidelines are not statutory; consequently, they may be amended by the legislature at its discretion.[17]
The Kentucky Constitution requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous ... and preserve whole counties where possible."[17]
Kentucky District 1
until January 2, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Kentucky District 1
starting January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
2010-2011
In 2011, the Kentucky State Legislature re-drew the congressional districts based on updated population information from the 2010 census.
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
2026
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+23. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 23 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Kentucky's 1st the 13th most Republican district nationally.[18]
2024
Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+24. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 24 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Kentucky's 1st the 17th most Republican district nationally.[19]
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 70.6%-27.9%.[20]
2022
Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+24. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 24 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Kentucky's 1st the 14th most Republican district nationally.[21]
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 27.9% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 70.6%.[22]
2018
Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+23. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 23 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Kentucky's 1st Congressional District the 25th most Republican nationally.[23]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.92. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.92 points toward that party.[24]
See also
- Redistricting in Kentucky
- Kentucky's 1st Congressional District election, 2024
- Kentucky's 1st Congressional District election, 2022
- Kentucky's 1st Congressional District election, 2020
- Kentucky's 1st Congressional District election, 2018
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings with the Office of the Secretary of State," accessed January 27, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Kentucky Results," May 17, 2016
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings with the Office of the Secretary of State," accessed September 6, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Kentucky Republican to resign from House," August 31, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Kentucky"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ Louisville Courier Journal, "Kentucky Democratic Party suing over Republicans' state and Congress redistricting maps," January 21, 2022
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Senate Bill 3," accessed January 21, 2022
- ↑ Louisville Courier Journal, "Claiming 'unconstitutional gerrymandering,' Beshear vetoes Kentucky redistricting plans," January 20, 2022
- ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Senate Bill 3," accessed January 21, 2022
- ↑ Bloomberg Government, "Kentucky Congressional Map Enacted After GOP Overrides Governor," January 20, 2022
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 All About Redistricting, "Kentucky," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed February 6, 2023
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
