Comer's campaign touted Northup's support as a "blockbuster endorsement" given that Northup endorsed Comer over Hal Heiner, the former Louisville metro councilman who announced his candidacy for governor in March. Northup represented Louisville in the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms before being defeated by Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth in 2006, the year Democrats took control of both the House and the Senate amid sagging approval numbers of Republican President George W.