Ralph Alvarado
Republican
Physician; former Tennessee health commissioner and former Kentucky state senator
Loading race…
Loading race…
U.S. House · Nov 3, 2026
Open seat. Held by Andy Barr, who is not running.
Open seat: Republican Rep. Andy Barr is running for the U.S. Senate. Candidates are listed in the order of the Fayette County sample ballot; one filed write-in candidate, Robert Quigley, is not printed on the ballot.
Physician; former Tennessee health commissioner and former Kentucky state senator
Navy veteran, former teacher and former federal prosecutor
Lexington small business owner
Political science lecturer at the University of Kentucky
What each candidate says they support or would do, on the issues they campaign on. Summaries use the same neutral words for everyone and link to the candidate’s own words.
Researched with AI and confirmed by a second, independent AI check. Our editors haven’t reviewed it yet. How we verify
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
Supports lowering prescription drug prices, increasing funding for rural and vulnerable hospitals, and requiring big health insurers to publicly disclose their profits, the share of claims they deny and average wait times for routine care.
DemocraticZach Dembo
Supports reversing Medicaid cuts and fully funding Medicaid, restoring and expanding ACA tax credits, a law making drug companies charge the same prices here as overseas, caps on out-of-pocket costs, price transparency for procedures, and a public option.
IndependentJay Bowman
Supports designing a universal single-payer health care system, which could be private, government-run or a hybrid, covering preventive care, hospitalization, prescription drugs and long-term care, phased in gradually.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
Supports Medicare for All: universal coverage with no out-of-pocket costs for essential services and prescriptions, simpler administration, and access in rural and underserved areas.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
Supports cutting taxes for working people, increasing the child tax credit, and eliminating taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security.
DemocraticZach Dembo
No published position found.
IndependentJay Bowman
Proposes a "Zero-One-Hundred" tax plan with no federal income tax on income up to $100,000, alongside a balanced budget.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
Supports taxing capital gains as income, exempting the first $25,000 of income from federal taxes, a 10% tax on net worth above $1 billion, and lower taxes for households earning under $250,000 with higher rates above $1 million.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
Supports mandatory minimum sentences for people who rob or scam taxpayer-supported programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
DemocraticZach Dembo
No published position found.
IndependentJay Bowman
Supports treating drug addiction as a public health issue rather than a crime, more funding for prevention and treatment, and stronger law enforcement against drug trafficking networks.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
Supports ending cash bail, three-strikes laws and qualified immunity, relying more on fines and community service than prison, restoring voting rights to people who have served their sentences, and replacing ICE with a new immigration enforcement agency.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
Supports a living wage of at least $15 an hour, the PRO Act, workplace safety standards, apprenticeship funding, protecting unemployment benefits, and the right to unionize and bargain collectively.
IndependentJay Bowman
Supports taxing large corporations an amount equal to 100% of the government benefits, such as food stamps or Medicaid, that their full-time employees receive, and strengthening workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
Supports breaking up monopolies, repealing Taft-Hartley or passing the PRO Act, capping CEO pay at 10 times the average worker's, local living-wage minimums, and a 50% corporate tax rate to fund a dividend paid equally to all adult Americans.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
Supports requiring transparency and local input on where data centers are built, holding companies accountable for environmental impact and energy costs, AI safeguards for children, and requiring companies that replace workers with AI to pay into a retraining fund.
IndependentJay Bowman
Supports local veto power over large data centers, a moratorium on new builds while their effects on water use and electric bills are reviewed, ending large tax breaks for them, and requiring them to pay for the roads, water and power lines they use.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
Supports a moratorium on new data centers, and before any are built, requiring local majority approval, banning nondisclosure agreements in land sales, and requiring data centers to pay the full cost of grid upgrades and build renewable power at least equal to their load.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
Supports banning stock trading by members of Congress, a lifetime lobbying ban for former members and getting rid of dark money in politics. Supports moving the Justice Department out of the executive branch, with six-year terms for the attorney general, removable only for cause.
IndependentJay Bowman
No published position found.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
Supports a 100% tax on election spending above $2,500 per donor a year and on lobbying spending above $1 million a year, requiring candidates to raise at least half their funds from small donors, banning unlimited super PAC donations, and banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
Supports immigration enforcement against violent criminals and a secure border, holding ICE to the same standards as other law enforcement, including more training, body cameras and no masks, and a path to citizenship for people already here working.
IndependentJay Bowman
Supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria, more visas for skilled workers, students and family members of citizens, a simpler application process, and stronger border security with due process for asylum seekers.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
No published position found.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
Supports increasing housing supply through research into cheaper construction materials and public-private partnerships, expanding first-time homebuyer programs like the VA loan to teachers, nurses and first responders, and stopping Wall Street from buying up homes.
IndependentJay Bowman
No published position found.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
Supports banning foreign and hedge fund ownership of single-family homes, capping rent increases on corporate-owned rentals, limiting residential ownership to 25 units per person and 500 per corporation, and federal matching funds for people building their own homes.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
Says he has a plan to bring down the cost of groceries, gas and health care, grow Kentucky jobs and eliminate wasteful government spending that he says drives up inflation, and says he would work with both parties to fix health care.
DemocraticZach Dembo
No published position found.
IndependentJay Bowman
No published position found.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
No published position found.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
Supports ending the trade war and free and open trade that helps farmers and distillers compete globally, and says tariffs are taxes on businesses and consumers. Supports protecting crop insurance and reforming the tax code to protect family farms.
IndependentJay Bowman
No published position found.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
No published position found.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
Supports the right to an abortion in the first trimester, says he would vote to codify Roe v. Wade and protect fertility treatments such as IVF, and supports universal pre-K, affordable child care and an expanded child tax credit.
“I would be a vote to codify Roe v. Wade, which worked for over 50 years, and protect fertility treatments like IVF.”
IndependentJay Bowman
No published position found.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
No published position found.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
No published position found.
IndependentJay Bowman
Supports congressional term limits and limiting super PACs through stricter coordination rules, donor disclosure, contribution limits and public financing of campaigns.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
No published position found.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
No published position found.
IndependentJay Bowman
Supports reversing course on tariffs and other economically restrictive measures affecting farmers, passing the 2026 farm bill, producing fertilizer domestically, expanding rural broadband, farmer co-ops and less regulation of farmers.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
No published position found.
RepublicanRalph Alvarado
No published position found.
DemocraticZach Dembo
No published position found.
IndependentJay Bowman
No published position found.
Kentucky PartyPete Lynch
Supports amending the War Powers Resolution so only Congress can start military engagements, ending military aid for offensive purposes, stopping funding for Israel's military, and directing foreign aid to food, medicine and rebuilding.