U.S. House, Kentucky 3rd Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District?
Morgan McGarvey has the strongest record in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District. Morgan McGarvey scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Morgan McGarvey's highest marks are relevant experience and showing up. Maria Rodriguez (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Morgan McGarvey
69 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 75
Republican
Maria Rodriguez
On the ballot as Maria Teresa Rodriguez
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Morgan McGarvey
- Credit2025-02-23
Held open in-person town hall meetings in Louisville on Feb. 22 and 23, 2025; he said more than 1,000 people attended.
Source: Spectrum News 1, Feb. 26, 2025
Maria Rodriguez
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Morgan McGarvey. Annual disclosure for 2025 filed May 14, 2026. Nine periodic transaction reports for spouse and joint trades in 2023 and 2024 were each filed within 45 days of the trade. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075970, House Committee on Ethics site search for McGarvey, FEC administrative fines search
Maria Rodriguez. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate disclosure is on the Clerk index (April 2026). No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Morgan McGarvey. No public record found.
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Morgan McGarvey. Held open in-person town hall meetings in Louisville on Feb. 22 and 23, 2025, which he said drew more than 1,000 people.
Source: Spectrum News 1, Feb. 26, 2025
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Morgan McGarvey. Kentucky senator from 2012 to 2023 and in the U.S. House since 2023. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Morgan McGarvey, House Committee on Ethics site search for McGarvey
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Morgan McGarvey. Has held sworn state and federal office since 2012. Joined the House in January 2023, after the 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Morgan McGarvey
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Morgan McGarvey. Two terms in the U.S. House after more than ten years in the Kentucky Senate.
Sources: GovTrack, Morgan McGarvey, Ballotpedia, Morgan McGarvey
Maria Rodriguez. Works as a trauma nurse in Louisville and says she built a small business. Has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site, Meet Maria
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Morgan McGarvey. Ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs; publishes issue pages on his office site.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Maria Rodriguez. Lists priorities in general terms: free enterprise, safer Louisville, lower taxes, legal immigration and others.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Morgan McGarvey. Offers a newsletter, publishes issue pages and holds town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Spectrum News 1, Feb. 26, 2025, Ballotpedia, Morgan McGarvey
Maria Rodriguez. Publishes a biography and priority list on her campaign site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Ballotpedia, Maria Teresa Rodriguez
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Morgan McGarvey. Born in Louisville in 1979 and represented a Louisville state Senate district from 2012 to 2023. FEC by-state contribution totals were not retrievable at check time.
Source: Ballotpedia, Morgan McGarvey
Maria Rodriguez. Works as a trauma nurse in Louisville; length of residence in the district not documented. FEC by-state contribution totals were not retrievable at check time.
Source: Campaign site, Meet Maria
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Morgan McGarvey. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Source: FEC candidate page
Maria Rodriguez. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Source: FEC candidate page
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Morgan McGarvey. Legislative Effectiveness Score 0.74 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.52, meets expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bill with him as primary sponsor.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Morgan McGarvey. Missed 5 of 1,917 roll call votes, 0.3 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Morgan McGarvey. Publishes casework totals (6,137 cases resolved and $13.0 million returned to constituents), runs a Louisville district office, and held open town halls documented by Spectrum News.
Sources: Office site, home page, Spectrum News 1, Feb. 26, 2025
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Morgan McGarvey. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.82740 for the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 296 of 436, below zero but above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Morgan McGarvey. No public record found.
Maria Rodriguez. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District?
Morgan McGarvey has the strongest record in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District. Morgan McGarvey scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Morgan McGarvey's highest marks are relevant experience and showing up. Maria Rodriguez (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District in 2026?
Morgan McGarvey (Democratic, incumbent), Maria Teresa Rodriguez (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Morgan McGarvey a good candidate for Congress?
Morgan McGarvey scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 75 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Maria Rodriguez a good candidate for Congress?
Maria Rodriguez has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Kentucky race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Kentucky 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.