A sign next the the grounds for the annual Fancy Farm Picnic thanks visitors for coming to the West Kentucky town. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley
FANCY FARM, Ky. — Most spectators had their eyes on candidates in Kentucky’s upcoming GOP U.S. Senate primary during events surrounding the Fancy Farm Picnic this weekend. However, a Republican and Democrat encouraged speculation about themselves as candidates in the state’s 2027 governor’s race.
While addressing party faithful — Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman at a Democratic dinner and U.S. Rep. James Comer at a Republican breakfast — mentioned the future statewide races. Both have been seen as possible candidates for the governor’s race, which would be wide open with Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear term-limited.
Coleman did not attend the annual church picnic in West Kentucky Saturday, but she was one of the speakers at the Marshall County Democrats’ Mike Miller Memorial Bean Dinner the Friday night before. She said not being on the ballot this year factored into her decision to skip the picnic. The picnic typically features politicians as they trade roasts in front of an energetic crowd.
“Although, I do hear that there are some races, like in 2027, that might bring me back to the Fancy Farm stage. I don’t know. We’ll see,” she said, earning chuckles and applause from the room.
Asked to clarify by reporters after her speech, Coleman said “It just means I might be back. Well, you never know.”
Coleman, who has been elected as lieutenant governor twice on Beshear’s ticket, is seen as a top candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2027 governor’s race. Another rumored candidate is Beshear’s senior adviser Rocky Adkins, a former House Democratic floor leader from Eastern Kentucky who ran against Beshear in the 2019 primary.
However, Comer told the Graves County GOP Breakfast Saturday morning that he believes Kentucky Democrats will nominate Coleman.
“There’s no question in my life. I mean, it’s going to be Jackie Coleman, the lieutenant governor,” Comer said.
The congressman then added what he said was the “problem” with Coleman running. He told Republicans that “she is so irrelevant and unknown” that if she was in a picture between two Kentucky icons, boxer Muhammad Ali and University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope, that the average Kentuckian still couldn’t identify her.
Throughout the day, some Republican speakers hinted that Comer should run for governor himself. Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell was the most enthusiastic of them, saying Comer should get in the race at the Republican breakfast and again on the Fancy Farm Picnic stage.
“I’m for Jamie Comer for governor. Please run. Please,” Shell said at the breakfast as the room erupted with cheers.
Comer told reporters after the picnic that it’s not a secret that “I’m very interested in” the governor’s race, but he’s about a year away from making a decision as he is currently running for his U.S. House seat again in the 1st Congressional District in 2026.
Before he was elected to Congress in 2016, Comer served as the state’s agriculture commissioner and in the state House of Representatives. He sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2015, but lost the primary to former Gov. Matt Bevin by 83 votes. On the national stage, Comer gained notoriety as the chairman of the House Oversight Committee and leading probes into President Joe Biden and his family.
As for the current support, Comer said he’s “humbled” to hear encouragement from all over the state. He believes some of the reason is because of his rural background, which could win support from voters outside of the state’s urban areas.
“The Democrats have dominated the Kentucky governor’s race as much as any race in America. Even states like New York and New Jersey … the Republicans have had more success,” Comer said. “So, we’ve got to look at who we nominate. “
When asked why he thought the Democratic nominee would be Coleman over Adkins, Comer said Adkins’ record of being “pro-life” on abortion issues and not backing strict gun control laws could cost him support among more liberal Democratic voters, particularly in Lexington and Louisville.
“Unless something happens, Jackie Coleman’s (the) overwhelming favorite to be the Democrat nominee for governor,” Comer said.
Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, said Comer “isn’t wrong” when it comes to ideologues and activists struggling to back candidates in cases where “the demand for ideological purity means losing.” Regular voters can be more strategic. Voss pointed to the 2020 presidential election, a race where Joe Biden wasn’t the first choice for a lot of Democratic voters but it was more important to them to beat Donald Trump.
“Comer lost nothing by campaigning against the lieutenant governor. It’s not as though these words cost money, and if he ends up being wrong, and his primary Democratic opponent ends up being someone else, he’s done himself no measurable harm by going after her,” Voss said. “The important thing is he’s auditioning for the role of ‘Republican who’s going to attack the Democratic nominee for governor.’”
If Comer had publicly attacked another rumored Republican candidate, he “steps on toes” and could give publicity to a primary opponent, Voss said. This move doesn’t offend GOP primary voters.
Asked if Comer could have risked sending Democrats the message that Adkins is a stronger candidate, Voss said “if Democratic strategists don’t already know that Rocky Adkins would be a strong candidate, then God help them.”
In addition to Comer, some have speculated that possible Republican candidates for 2027 could include term-limited Secretary of State Michael Adams and former Republican Senate Floor Leader Damon Thayer.
In 2023, a dozen Republicans ran for their party’s gubernatorial nomination. As the majority party with most statewide offices and both control of the state House and Senate, Kentucky Republicans have a larger bench with up and coming candidates than the Democrats do for most elections.
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