2026 midterms · Kentucky
Kentucky 1st District
U.S. House · primary May 19, 2026 · general election Nov 3, 2026
- candidates
- 2
- Democrats
- 1
- Republicans
- 1
candidates advanced
John Williams (D) and James Comer (R) advanced from the primary held on May 19, 2026. The general election is on Nov 3, 2026.
The candidates
Two candidates recorded as advancing from the primary. One incumbent and one challenger.
Status is the FEC’s: an incumbent holds the seat, a challenger runs against one, and an open seat has no incumbent running. The lab records a primary’s result once it is official; candidates who did not advance are no longer listed.
Democrats
Challenger · advanced from the primary · 606 statements classified · $223.2K raised
Republicans
Incumbent · advanced from the primary · 8,072 statements classified · $2.3M raised · official profile
Notes
House districts follow the candidates’ FEC filings; where a state redrew its map for 2026, a candidate may appear under their old district. A sitting member is placed in the race for the seat they hold now.
What they say
The candidates’ statements differ most on policy criticism: from 5.0% to 24%. Both candidates have 10 or more classified statements.
An AI model reads each statement and marks the kinds of statement it contains; each bar is the share of a candidate’s statements with that label. Incumbent members of Congress are measured on everything they publish in office, everyone else on posts on X. A rate describes what was said, not whether it was right.
How do the candidates’ statements compare?
Share of each candidate’s statements with each label; grey tick: median of ranked House candidates
Personal attacks
Median 2.5% · axis 0–60%
- Williams D0.2%
- Comer R11%
Policy criticism
Median 15% · axis 0–60%
- Williams D5.0%
- Comer R24%
Policy discussion
Median 58% · axis 0–60%
- Williams D39%
- Comer R54%
Bipartisanship
Median 3.8% · axis 0–60%
- Williams D0.7%
- Comer R4.0%
Credit claiming
Median 16% · axis 0–60%
- Williams D1.8%
- Comer R11%
Show the data
| Candidate | Party | Statements | Personal attacks | Policy criticism | Policy discussion | Bipartisanship | Credit claiming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Williams | D | 606 | 0.2% | 5.0% | 39% | 0.7% | 1.8% |
| James Comer | R | 8,072 | 11% | 24% | 54% | 4.0% | 11% |
| Median, ranked House candidates | 2.5% | 15% | 58% | 3.8% | 16% |
The five kinds of statement
Personal attacks. Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.
Policy criticism. Objects to a specific policy, law or court ruling with fact-based arguments, without personal attacks or emotional appeals.
Policy discussion. Discusses a specific public policy or policy area (health care, taxes, defense, …).
Bipartisanship. Emphasises working across the aisle, compromise or common ground between the parties.
Credit claiming. Claims credit for passing legislation, securing funding or grants, or other accomplishments in office.
Candidates with fewer than 10 classified statements are left out. The grey tick is the median of the ranked House candidates (50 or more statements), for scale.
Money
Reported receipts range from $223.2K to $2.3M. Both candidates have campaign-finance figures from the FEC.
Totals each campaign reports to the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 cycle: money raised, money spent and cash on hand at the end of the latest filing.
How much has each candidate raised?
Total receipts reported to the FEC, with cash on hand
- James Comer$2.3M$1.6M on hand
- John Williams$223.2K$7,976 on hand
Show the data
| Candidate | Party | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | Debts | Individuals | PACs | Party committees | Own money | Candidate loans | Through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Comer | R | $2.3M | $3.9M | $1.6M | $0 | $1.7M | $569.4K | $0 | $0 | $0 | — |
| John Williams | D | $223.2K | $213.9K | $7,976 | $2,900 | $203.7K | $16.5K | $0 | $0 | $2,900 | — |