J. T. Payne

James Thomas Payne (born June 12, 1998) is an American politician and member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Kentucky's 11th House district, and assumed office on January 1, 2025. His district includes all of Henderson County. Born in 1998, he is currently the youngest member of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Background Payne was raised in Reed, Kentucky, an unincorporated community located in Henderson County. He graduated from Henderson County High School in 2016, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Murray State University in 2019. During his time at Murray, Payne was elected student body president, and served as the student representative on the university's board of regents as well as chair of the Kentucky Board of Student Body Presidents. Following graduation, he was hired by Henderson County High School. He returned to Murray and earned a Master of Arts in Education in teacher leadership in 2021 as well as another M.A.Ed in educational administration in 2024.

Political career

Elections

2024 Kentucky's 11th House district incumbent Jonathan Dixon chose not to seek reelection. Payne was unopposed in both the 2024 Republican primary and the 2024 Kentucky House of Representatives election, winning the latter with 14,964 votes.