Democrat Zach Dembo flips key Kentucky House seat

Democrats have flipped control of Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District after Democrat Zach Dembo defeated Republican Ralph Alvarado for the open battleground seat, a shocking result for a seat once thought to be safely in Republican hands.The Associated Press called the race for Dembo at 10:16 p.m. He had 52.7% to Alvarado’s 43.3% with 98% of the vote counted.The district was a toss-up contest and could offer an early indicator of which party is likely to emerge from the midterm elections with control of the House. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), who currently holds the seat, was elected Tuesday to the Senate as the successor to retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). State Democrats went all in on Dembo, a former Navy officer and ex-federal prosecutor who served as legislative director for Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), to flip a Trump-won district. But while President Donald Trump carried it by 15 points in 2024, Beshear won it by nearly 20 points in his 2023 reelection bid.Trump-backed Alvarado is a doctor and former Kentucky state lawmaker who served as Tennessee’s top public health official.ANDY BESHEAR GOES ALL IN TO FLIP TRUMP-WON HOUSE DISTRICT IN KENTUCKYBeshear, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, heavily backed Dembo with multiple trips to stump for the Democrat in the Lexington-area district. His support presented an early litmus test for the possible 2028 presidential contender and popular second-term governor with rare status among his party as a statewide Democrat in a deep red state.The race was among those that shifted further in Democrats’ favor in the final weeks of the campaign when nonpartisan election forecasters moved it into the toss-up category, though it initially began the election cycle as uncompetitive. Democratic polling in the months before Tuesday’s matchup showed Dembo with a steady lead, presenting the latest accuracy test for internal party surveys.