U.S. House race · November 3, 2026

U.S. Representative, Kentucky District 6

Represents the district in the U.S. House of Representatives, which writes federal laws, approves the federal budget and taxes, and oversees the executive branch.

2-year term. Open seat: no incumbent is running. The district covers central Kentucky, including Lexington (Fayette County), Richmond, Georgetown and Winchester, and all or parts of 16 counties such as Madison, Scott, Jessamine, Clark, Woodford and Bourbon. It is an open seat because Rep. Andy Barr (R) is running for U.S. Senate. Kentucky did not redraw its congressional map for 2026. Robert Quigley is a declared write-in candidate.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name.

  • Ralph Alvarado

    Physician; former Tennessee Commissioner of Health and former Kentucky state senator
    Republican

    Ralph Alvarado is a physician, a former Kentucky state senator and a former Tennessee health commissioner who won the Republican primary in May 2026. His campaign focuses on health care costs, the cost of living and Kentucky jobs, and he says he will bring "independent leadership" to Congress.

  • Jay Bowman

    Small-business owner
    Independent

    Jay Bowman is a small-business owner who moved to Kentucky in the 1990s and is running as an independent; he was a minor independent presidential candidate in 2024. He says the two-party system is broken and campaigns on tax reform, balancing the budget and a living wage.

  • Zach Dembo

    Former federal prosecutor (Assistant U.S. Attorney) and U.S. Navy veteran
    Democratic

    Zach Dembo is a Navy veteran, former teacher and former federal prosecutor from Lexington who won the Democratic primary in May 2026. His campaign focuses on government corruption, health care costs, ending tariffs and abortion rights.

  • Pete Lynch

    Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Kentucky
    Kentucky Party

    Pete Lynch is a University of Kentucky political science lecturer running on the Kentucky Party ballot line. He describes himself as an economic populist and centers his campaign on campaign finance reform.

Compare on the issues

Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.

Candidate positions by issue for U.S. Representative, Kentucky District 6
IssueRalph Alvarado
Republican
Jay Bowman
Independent
Zach Dembo
Democratic
Pete Lynch
Kentucky Party
Health Care

Says he wants to require large health insurers to publicly disclose their profits, the share of claims they deny and average wait times for routine care; also says he supports lowering prescription drug prices and increasing funding for rural and vulnerable hospitals.

Supports creating a single-payer system covering essential services, phased in over time.

Supports reversing Medicaid cuts, restoring and expanding ACA premium tax credits, a public option, and a law requiring drug companies to charge the same prices here as overseas.

Supports Medicare for All, with universal coverage and no out-of-pocket costs for essential services and prescriptions.

Economy & Jobs

Says he would lower the cost of living and eliminate what he calls wasteful government spending that drives up inflation.

Supports taxing large corporations an amount equal to the government benefits, such as food stamps or Medicaid, that their full-time employees receive.

Calls for ending the tariff "trade war," supporting free and open trade for farmers and distillers, and protecting crop insurance for family farms.

No public position found yet
Energy & EnvironmentNo public position found yet

Supports a moratorium on new data centers, local veto power over them and a per-megawatt-hour tax paid to host counties.

No public position found yet

Supports a moratorium on new data centers and requiring them to pay for grid upgrades and win approval from local residents.

Foreign PolicyNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports aid to Ukraine and protecting Taiwan’s sovereignty, calls for de-escalating the conflict with Iran, and says congressional oversight and agreement from allies should come before the U.S. goes to war.

Supports giving only Congress the power to begin military engagements and ending U.S. military funding for Israel.

Immigration

Said in his July 2025 campaign announcement that he would work to secure the border and to stop immigrants in the country illegally from using Medicaid.

No public position found yet

Supports enforcement against violent criminals and a secure border, new standards for ICE such as body cameras and no masks, and a path to citizenship for immigrants already here.

No public position found yet
Taxes

Supports eliminating taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security; says he wants to cut taxes for working people and increase the child tax credit.

Proposes a "Zero-One-Hundred" plan that would exempt the first $100,000 of each person’s income from federal income tax, with a flat 20% rate above that.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet
AbortionNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Says he would vote to codify Roe v. Wade and protect IVF, and supports a right to abortion in the first trimester.

No public position found yet
AgricultureNo public position found yet

Calls for Congress to reverse tariffs that hurt farmers and pass the 2026 Farm Bill.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet
Elections & DemocracyNo public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports a 100% tax on election spending above $2,500 per donor per year, requiring candidates to raise at least half their funds from small donors, and banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks.

HousingNo public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports banning foreign and hedge fund ownership of single-family homes and capping rent increases on corporate-owned rentals.

Social Security & Medicare

Says he supports Social Security and Medicare and wants mandatory minimum sentences for people who rob or scam programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

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