FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — The November race for Kentucky's 6th Congressional District is already drawing national attention, with Democrats hoping to flip the seat and Republicans working to keep it red.
Zach Dembo won the Democratic primary, and Ralph Alvarado secured the Republican nomination on Tuesday night. The two will now face off in November.
Both candidates won their respective primaries in Fayette County, which holds many votes heading into the general election. Experts say Madison County will also likely play an important role in November.
Covering Kentucky
Alvarado, Dembo will face off in Kentucky's 6th District congressional race
Dembo said he is confident his campaign can win the seat.
"I'm confident. As a team, we can flip this seat," Dembo said.
Alvarado, however, believes the district will remain in Republican hands.
"Fayette County might be blue, but the rest of the district is not going blue," Alvarado said.
National Democrats are targeting the seat as part of a broader effort to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and political experts believe significant money and resources could flow into Kentucky as a result. But Dembo said he is not focused on national party messaging.
"We're going to be running a Kentucky democrat, a Beshear democrat, campaign. So, I don't care what national party does in terms of messaging. We're doing our own thing," Dembo said.
Dembo is positioning himself as a political outsider frustrated with Washington.
"I know that you've had enough of what's going on in DC. I know you've had enough of the skyrocketing prices, of the corruption, of the self-serving politicians," Dembo said. "I've had enough too," he added.
Republicans are also expected to invest resources in the race. Alvarado has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, which has proven to be an electoral boost for Kentucky Republicans.
"I appreciate the president's endorsement. It means a lot to me personally. It means a lot to the voters in the district and I think it was reflected clearly in the vote yesterday," Alvarado said.
Alvarado said he is not focused on partisanship and pointed to his time in the Kentucky General Assembly as evidence of his ability to work across the aisle. He described a period when the House and Senate were controlled by opposing parties.
"Democrats looked at my bills. They liked them. They wanted to add their own flavor to them. I looked at their amendments, was fine with it, sold it to my leadership, added it to my bill, and I became the mule - if you will - that got a lot of bills through both chambers during that time," Alvarado said. "I know how to work when it's divided, when there are difficulties in government."
