LEXINGTON, Ky. — U.S. Rep. Andy Barr is seeking to move on to the upper chamber of Congress.

But what of Kentucky’s five other members of the U.S. House of Representatives?

The question of their futures, some of them seen as rising stars in their parties, has been buzzing since U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell announced in February he would not seek reelection in 2026.

For now, Barr is the only member of the state’s U.S. House delegation to have signed up for that primary.

Others told the Herald-Leader they were focused solely on their own primary contests for reelection.

Here’s what they had to say:

1st District: James Comer to seek reelection

Rep. James Comer is running again for his 1st Congressional District seat, according to a spokesperson for his office.

The former state commissioner of agriculture’s star in the Republican party rose dramatically when he was chair of the House Committee on Oversight & Reform during the Biden presidency.

The 52-year-old congressman, who ran for governor in 2015 but fell short in the GOP primary to former governor Matt Bevin by just 83 votes, has not been coy about considering another run for governor in 2027. Comer is widely seen as a potential candidate for that office when Beshear will be term-limited out.

Comer began his Washington tenure in 2016, shortly after leaving office as commissioner of agriculture.

Comer’s district loops all the way from far West Kentucky along the state’s southern border and back up to Franklin County, home to the capital city of Frankfort. It was changed to stretch further north during the GOP-led redistricting effort in 2022. Comer’s family owns a home in Franklin County, but he has been adamant that the change occurred at Barr’s request.

2nd District: Brett Guthrie’s status unclear

A spokesperson for Congressman Brett Guthrie has not responded to multiple Herald-Leader requests for comment on his status for the 2026 election.

Guthrie has, however, continued to raise money into his congressional campaign account. As of March 31, he had just over $1 million on hand.

The 61-year-old GOP congressman, now nine terms into his Washington tenure, has quietly risen the ranks to lead one of the most important committees in the House: the Energy and Commerce Committee.

It’s seen as a plum assignment, according to POLITICO, because it has “widest range of jurisdiction of any House panel.” It covers most of the nation’s health policy issues, including pharmaceuticals, national energy policy, the communications industry, regulation of air and water safety and more.

A former automotive parts manufacturer in Bowling Green, Guthrie was at one point voted the “nicest” member of the U.S. House.

Guthrie’s 2nd Congressional District includes parts of Western and South Central Kentucky. It’s clustered around the growing communities of Bowling Green, Elizabethtown and Owensboro and includes a sliver of Eastern Jefferson County.

3rd District: Morgan McGarvey in for 2026

Kentucky’s lone Democratic representative in Washington will seek reelection in 2026, an aide told the Herald-Leader.

McGarvey took office in 2023, replacing John Yarmuth in the 3rd Congressional District, which is located entirely in Louisville.

The 45-year-old recently took the deputy whip position in the House Democratic Caucus and is the co-chair of recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Republicans currently hold a seven-member majority in the House and many expect the midterms could prove difficult if they want to hold on to that majority.

Part of McGarvey’s focus with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will be on the newly open 6th Congressional District seat. He recently told the Louisville Courier-Journal he has high hopes for Democrats there, pointing to Beshear’s strong performances in the district.

“When you look at the 2019 and the 2023 election results, where there were competitive elections between well-run campaigns, good candidates, Gov. Beshear won both of those races,” McGarvey said.

4th District: Where Thomas Massie stands

Rep. Thomas Massie said in a statement to the Herald-Leader that he is “absolutely” running for reelection, ending speculation that he may jump in the crowding race for U.S. Senate in 2026.

He represents the state’s 4th Congressional District. The majority of the district’s voters live in the three populous Northern Kentucky counties of Kenton, Boone and Campbell, but it stretches into sections of Eastern Kentucky and much of the suburban counties surrounding Louisville.

Massie’s primary election could get interesting.

He drew fire in March from many in President Donald Trump’s orbit when he refused to vote for a Republican-sponsored budget resolution because it spent too much money.

Trump himself has called for Massie’s political death by primary.

“I will lead the charge against him. He’s just another GRANDSTANDER, who’s too much trouble and not worth the fight,” Trump posted to social media at the time.

Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 campaign, has signaled a readiness to find a primary challenger.

The powerful pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee has previously spent money bashing Massie for his foreign policy stances.

Massie, 54, appears unfazed.

“Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me. None busted 25% because my constituents prefer transparency and principles over blind allegiance,” he wrote on X last month.

5th District: Hal Rogers running again

After 44 years of service to his district, Rep. Hal Rogers doesn’t intend to go anywhere.

“I have every intention of running for reelection,” he said in a statement to the Herald-Leader.

At 87 years old, Rogers is the Dean of the U.S. House, a designation reserved for the longest continuously serving member of the House.

Though the advanced age of elected officials in Washington has become a hot topic in recent years — especially given criticisms of former president Joe Biden’s mental acuity — Rogers said that he’s ready to serve “as long as” his constituents want him to.

“Helping the people of Southern and Eastern Kentucky is what drives my daily work, and we still have projects to complete and new visions to cast together. I have every intention of serving the people of Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District, as long as they want me to,” Rogers said.

Rogers’ district covers the majority of Eastern Kentucky as well as a swath of South-Central Kentucky communities like his native Pulaski County.

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