Democrat Zach Dembo flips Kentucky's 6th District, ending a 13-year Republican hold

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 5) — Democrat Zach Dembo flipped Kentucky's 6th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating Republican Ralph Alvarado and ending a Republican hold that dated to 2013, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

With all counties finished reporting, Dembo had 138,777 votes (about 53%) to Alvarado's 114,030 (about 43%), according to the Kentucky Secretary of State's election night results. Independent and other candidates took the rest. WLKY noted that Dembo becomes Kentucky's second Democratic House member, joining Morgan McGarvey.

The seat had been held by Republican Andy Barr, who left it to run for the U.S. Senate and won Mitch McConnell's open seat on Tuesday, WLKY reported. The Herald-Leader described the 6th as Kentucky's only competitive federal race this year and a national bellwether after Trump carried it by about 15 points in 2024. Dembo ran up a large margin in Fayette County while staying competitive enough in neighboring counties that rural Republican wins on the district's edges were not enough, the paper reported.

Dembo, 40, is a Navy veteran and former assistant U.S. attorney in Lexington who had not held elected office before. He quit the Justice Department in May 2025, saying he believed the agency was being politicized, and campaigned on cost of living, tariffs, the Iran war and health care, according to the Herald-Leader. Gov. Andy Beshear endorsed him and appeared with him on the trail.

"Tonight, we together have sent a clear message: The status quo isn't working," Dembo told supporters at his Lexington watch party, the Herald-Leader reported. Alvarado conceded the same night and said he had called Dembo to congratulate him.