Republican Rep. TJ Roberts is seeking a second term in the Kentucky House, two years after unseating a fellow Republican on his way to Frankfort.
Roberts, a Burlington attorney, represents House District 66, which covers part of Boone County. He faces Democrat Jason Ellis in the November general election after both candidates ran unopposed in their respective May primaries.
Roberts was first elected in 2024, when he defeated then-Rep. Ed Massey in the Republican primary. He went on to win the general election with about 70% of the vote and took office in January 2025.
Since then, Roberts has aligned himself with the legislature’s Liberty Caucus, a group of Republican lawmakers that generally advocates for limited government, lower taxes and individual liberties. Roberts serves on House committees dealing with the judiciary, elections and constitutional amendments, and veterans and public protection.
During his first year in office, Roberts sponsored legislation changing how Kentucky applies its sales tax to currency and precious-metal bullion. Lawmakers passed the measure in 2025 over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto.
Roberts has also introduced legislation dealing with firearms, eminent domain, immigration and government spending. In 2026, he was among the sponsors of House Bill 1, which enrolled Kentucky in a federal tax-credit scholarship program for K-12 education. Lawmakers overrode Beshear’s veto of the bill in March, and the state formally opted into the federal program in July.
Before running for office, Roberts drew attention for his legal challenges to Beshear’s COVID-19 restrictions. A Conner High School graduate, Roberts earned bachelor’s degrees from Transylvania University in 2019 and a law degree from Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 2023. He works as an attorney with Chris Wiest Attorney at Law PLLC.
LINK nky contacted Roberts with questions about their background, priorities and reasons for seeking office but did not receive a response before publication.