Democrat Zach Dembo, a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor, is projected to win Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), handing Democrats a key pickup in a district that had been solidly Republican.
With 92% of the vote counted, Dembo led Republican Ralph Alvarado by 14 percentage points — 55% to 41% — as of 9:07 p.m. EST. The race was called by DDHQ, marking the first time a Democrat has won the central Kentucky seat since 2012, when Republican Andy Barr defeated incumbent Ben Chandler.
Barr vacated the seat to run for the Senate, leaving an open contest that initially seemed safe for the GOP. President Donald Trump carried the district by about 15 points in 2024, and Barr won reelection that year by more than 26 points. But the race tightened as Election Day approached, with the Cook Political Report moving it from “lean Republican” to “toss up” in October.
Dembo, who has never held elected office, served as a Navy JAG officer and later as a federal prosecutor. He resigned from the Justice Department during the Trump administration, citing what he called a “shocking amount of corruption” in Washington. He also worked for Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat who won reelection in 2023 despite the state's conservative tilt.
In the May primary, Dembo defeated former state Representative Cherlynn Stevenson and several other candidates. He campaigned as a “Beshear Democrat,” aiming to replicate the governor's crossover appeal. Beshear stayed neutral in the primary but endorsed Dembo in the general and appeared with him at campaign events.
Dembo's campaign hammered Alvarado's ties to former Governor Matt Bevin, who lost to Beshear in 2019; Alvarado was Bevin's running mate. Dembo focused on affordability and accountability, criticizing Trump's tariffs and vowing to fight corruption. He highlighted his military and law enforcement background to appeal to independents and moderate Republicans.
The victory is a significant boost for Democrats as they seek to erode the GOP's House majority. The party has already seen success in other races, including flipping Florida's 22nd and holding seats in New Hampshire and Michigan.
Alvarado, a former state senator and physician, had Trump's endorsement. His campaign stressed conservative credentials, but Dembo's message of service and integrity resonated with voters in the Lexington-based district.
“This is about putting country over party,” Dembo said in his victory speech. “I'm ready to go to Washington and clean house.”
With this flip, Democrats continue to make inroads in suburban and exurban districts that have trended away from the GOP in recent cycles. The result also underscores the political strength of Beshear, who remains popular in the state and is seen as a rising national figure.
