Politics
Alvarado, Dembo set televised debate in closely watched Kentucky House race
Republican Ralph Alvarado and Democrat Zach Dembo will meet Oct. 22 for their only scheduled televised debate before the Nov. 3 election. A Democratic committee poll gives Dembo a six-point lead, while major race forecasters still rate the seat as leaning Republican.
Republican Ralph Alvarado and Democrat Zach Dembo have agreed to a televised debate in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. on Fox56 in Lexington, 12 days before Election Day.
The race for the central Kentucky seat is drawing increased attention as both parties campaign ahead of the Nov. 3 vote. The district’s current representative, Republican Andy Barr, is running for the U.S. Senate. Barr described the House contest as a “toss-up” in a Thursday conversation with reporters.
Alvarado’s campaign manager, Andy Westberry, said the candidate has prior commitments at the Court Day Festival in Mount Sterling during President Donald Trump’s planned Saturday rally in Northern Kentucky. Alvarado has also appeared at fundraisers with prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
The candidates and their allies have traded attacks over political ties and past cases. Barr criticized Dembo and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear for highlighting Alvarado’s role as former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s running mate in 2019. Beshear, who defeated the Bevin-Alvarado ticket, has appeared in a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad with Dembo that mocks Bevin. Beshear said Alvarado had tied himself to the former governor.
Alvarado’s campaign has also amplified criticism from former state trooper Derrek Lovett, who accused Dembo of mishandling a case in which Dembo served as a federal prosecutor. A federal jury acquitted Lovett and another former Kentucky State Police officer in 2024 in an excessive-force case involving allegations tied to an arson investigation.
There is no publicly released independent poll of the district. An internal poll commissioned by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and released Wednesday showed Dembo leading 46% to 40%; third-party candidates received 6% combined, and 8% of respondents were undecided. The survey included 606 likely voters and had a 4-point margin of error.
Despite that result, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report continue to rate the seat as leaning Republican, though both have shifted their assessments toward Dembo. The election will determine who represents the district after Barr leaves the House to pursue a Senate seat.