Kentucky's 6th District race between Alvarado and Dembo could signal national election outcome

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Kentucky will draw outsized national attention on election night, and it all comes down to timing. The state's polls close earlier than most, and results come in earlier than most — putting central Kentucky's race for Congress in the national spotlight.

National Democrats want to win central Kentucky's congressional seat because a flip from red to blue could indicate a good night for Democrats and a bad night for Republicans.

The seat has been held by Republicans since 2013. The race between Republican Ralph Alvarado and Democrat Zach Dembo is currently a tight one, ranked a toss-up by some national political analysts. Results here will offer early insight into the potential nationwide outcomes for partisan control of Congress.

The candidates know just how much attention is on this race. Alvarado spent the final days of his campaign with the area's current congressman, Andy Barr. In recent days, President Donald Trump also released an endorsement video for Alvarado.

"Hello Kentucky, special place. I won it by a lot every time, and I appreciate it. I'm asking you to get out and vote for Ralph Alvarado, fantastic person, to be your next representative for Kentucky's 6th Congressional District," Trump said.

Alvarado had Trump's endorsement back in the primary election, where he touted it often. Since then, he has backed off from talking about the president's support. Democrats say it's because some Kentuckians are upset with the president when it comes to the cost of living.

Gov. Andy Beshear, who has been campaigning for Dembo, says the president's endorsement won't help this time. He believes people are putting their needs above political party lines.

"People love their family a lot more than they do their party registration, and they are seeing Republicans in Congress hurting them instead of helping them. Flipping the U.S. House of Representatives, sending Zach Dembo from the 6th Congressional District to fight for them, that's going to actually better their lives," Beshear said.

Fayette County is the anchor of the 6th Congressional District. A lot of votes will come from here, but the results may take a bit longer to come in. The outer counties — especially the smaller rural ones — could really tell us what is happening, depending on how close the race is there.

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