FANCY FARM, Ky.
Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams promised he’d make a “major announcement” at Fancy Farm — though it wasn’t the one many Kentucky political observers thought it would be.
Adams announced he is not going to run to become Kentucky’s next governor.
Instead, Adams announced he’d be supporting U.S. Rep. James Comer, should he decide to run, Saturday afternoon during his speech at the 146th St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic in Graves County. Comer, who represents Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District, has not launched a campaign, but is believed to be planning a bid for 2027.
Adams, one of the state’s most prominent moderate Republicans, has for years signaled his interest in running for Kentucky governor after his two terms as secretary of state are up.
The final speaker of the day, Adams told the Fancy Farm crowd that Republicans needed to nominate their strongest ticket if they want to retake the Governor’s Mansion next year. That means avoiding a messy primary where they attack each other, he said.
“That goes for me, too. I’ve dedicated my career to our beloved Republican Party,” he said. “And the best thing I can do for my team is to call on all Republicans to join me in supporting James Comer to be our next governor!”
After leaving the stage, Adams said he seriously considered running for governor but realized he might not stand a chance.
“I’ve watched other secretaries of state in my party get beat for every office they run for the last six years,” Adams said. “They’ve run for House, Senate, governor, they get beat every time. This is the worst job in America to get a promotion.”
(Trey Grayson, Kentucky’s last two-term GOP secretary of state, also lost an open U.S. Senate primary to Rand Paul in 2010.)
Adams said he knew teasing a run until the last minute would get publicity.
“I thought today was a perfect way to own the news cycle and help Congressman Comer,” Adams told the Herald-Leader. “I have a great deal of comfort with him. I’ve spent a lot of time with him recently.”
Less than two weeks ago, Adams told the Herald-Leader he thought his style of GOP politics was more appealing in a general election. Republicans lost twice to Democrat Andy Beshear when they nominated candidates — Matt Bevin in 2019 and Daniel Cameron in 2023 — whose styles were “pugnacious and not appealing to the swing voters in the middle,” he said.
“I think the central question is: Do Republicans vote for a governor based on how he treats Hunter Biden, or do they actually want a governor who’s going to solve their problems?” Adams said July 22.
It was a not-so-subtle reference to Comer, who has become widely known for spearheading a congressional investigation into former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, which has earned him frequent airtime in right-wing media.
Comer surprised by Adams announcement
Speaking to reporters after the speeches, Comer said that while he’s communicated with Adams over the past couple of weeks, he didn’t expect Adams’ announcement.
“I‘m the eternal optimist, so I was very happy,” Comer said. “But no, I didn’t expect it. It was very good. I was surprised and very pleased.”
Comer said he expects to make a decision on whether to run after the November election, when he’s on the ballot for his House seat.
“I appreciate Secretary Adams,” Comer said. “We’ll see what happens, but we’re going to focus on (GOP Senate candidate) Andy Barr right now, and then a decision will be announced very soon after that.”
On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Rocky Adkins, Beshear’s former senior adviser, have already thrown their hats in the ring.
Adams has served as Kentucky Secretary of State since 2020, but has hinted for years that he’d likely run for the top elected position in the state. Ahead of Fancy Farm, Adams told the Herald-Leader he was considering making an announcement at the annual picnic.
Beshear can’t run for reelection in 2027, making it a wide-open race for the Governor’s Mansion.
Staff writer Jesse Fraga contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 1, 2026 at 5:02 PM.
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Hannah Pinski
Lexington Herald-Leader
Hannah covers Kentucky politics, including the legislature and statewide constitutional offices, for the Lexington Herald-Leader. She joined the newspaper in December 2025 after covering Kentucky politics for the Louisville Courier Journal for almost two years. Hannah graduated from The University of Iowa in 2023 where she double-majored in Journalism and Music and minored in Political Science.
