U.S. House, Kentucky 6th Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District?
Ralph Alvarado has the strongest record in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. Ralph Alvarado scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Zach Dembo at 63, as of October 6, 2026. Ralph Alvarado's highest marks are relevant experience and results. Zach Dembo's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jay Bowman (6 of 15 criteria), Pete Lynch (3 of 15 criteria) and Robert Quigley (0 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Strongest record
Ralph Alvarado
68 / 100
Public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 100
Independent
Jay Bowman
On the ballot as Jay J Bowman
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
Democratic
Zach Dembo
63 / 100
Public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 75
Kentucky Party
Pete Lynch
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 58
- Performance
- NR
Write-in
Robert Quigley
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 0 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- NR
- 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.
Ralph Alvarado
- On the record2026-09-09
The Herald-Leader reported that while Tennessee health commissioner he kept paid medical jobs in Kentucky, with disclosures showing at least $126,462 in 2024 outside pay; no rule violation was reported.
- On the record2026-09-28
A Herald-Leader fact check rated his campaign ad saying Zach Dembo "admitted he wants to raise your taxes" not accurate, finding the cited sources did not support it.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader fact check (via Yahoo), Sept. 28, 2026
- Credit2016
Ranked first among Kentucky Senate Republicans on the Center for Effective Lawmaking's State Legislative Effectiveness Score for 2015 to 2016, and above expectations again in 2017 to 2018 and 2019 to 2020.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking, State Legislative Effectiveness Scores data file
- Credit2015
Became the first Hispanic member of the Kentucky General Assembly when he took his state Senate seat; AP reported the milestone in 2025.
Source: Associated Press, July 17, 2025
Jay Bowman
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Zach Dembo
- On the record2026-09-28
A Herald-Leader fact check rated his campaign ad saying Ralph Alvarado "backed" Gov. Matt Bevin's 2019 pardons not accurate, finding no evidence Alvarado backed them.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader fact check (via Yahoo), Sept. 28, 2026
- Credit2026-09-21
A Herald-Leader review of court records found he prosecuted at least 38 law enforcement and corrections officers for civil rights abuses from 2016 to 2025, with 35 convictions and three acquittals.
Pete Lynch
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Robert Quigley
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.
Ralph Alvarado. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and House candidate disclosures were filed in 2025 and 2026. No FEC administrative fine or ethics finding found. A Herald-Leader fact check found one of his ads inaccurate (see Record).
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Jay Bowman. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and House candidate disclosures appear on the Clerk index. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Zach Dembo. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and House candidate disclosures appear on the Clerk index. No FEC administrative fine found. A Herald-Leader fact check found one of his ads inaccurate (see Record).
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Ralph Alvarado. No public record found.
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. No public record found.
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Ralph Alvarado. Appeared with Zach Dembo at a Commerce Lexington luncheon in July 2026 and gave an interview to the Courier Journal; his campaign said he agreed to a Spectrum debate, but no head-to-head debate was set as of late September. He is not on KET's candidate program schedule.
Source: WUKY, Sept. 24, 2026
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. Appeared with Ralph Alvarado at a Commerce Lexington luncheon in July 2026 and is scheduled for a KET candidate program on Oct. 12. As of late September no head-to-head debate had been agreed; his campaign had signed on for WKYT and KET debates.
Source: WUKY, Sept. 24, 2026
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Ralph Alvarado. Kentucky senator from 2015 to 2023 and Tennessee health commissioner from January 2023 to July 2025. No censure, reprimand or formal conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ralph Alvarado, Lexington Herald-Leader (via Yahoo), Sept. 9, 2026
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. Navy JAG officer for more than four years, Justice Department civil rights prosecutor, legislative director to Gov. Andy Beshear and assistant U.S. attorney. No formal conduct finding found.
Sources: Campaign site, Meet Zach, Lexington Herald-Leader (via Yahoo), Sept. 21, 2026
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. 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.
Ralph Alvarado. Held sworn office as a Kentucky senator and as a Tennessee cabinet official. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Ralph Alvarado
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. Served as a Navy JAG officer and as a federal prosecutor. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: Campaign site, Meet Zach, Lexington Herald-Leader (via Yahoo), Sept. 21, 2026
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Ralph Alvarado. Two terms in the Kentucky Senate (2015 to 2023) followed by two and a half years as Tennessee's health commissioner; a physician for nearly three decades.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ralph Alvarado, Courier Journal (via USA Today network), Sept. 23, 2026
Jay Bowman. Small business owner who started his first business at 24. Has not held public office.
Zach Dembo. Federal prosecutor for about a decade, policy adviser and legislative director to the governor of Kentucky, and Navy JAG officer. Has not held elected office.
Sources: Campaign site, Meet Zach, Courier Journal (via USA Today network), Sept. 23, 2026
Pete Lynch. Political science lecturer at the University of Kentucky with a 2022 Ph.D.; has taught at UK, Centre College and Eastern Kentucky University. Has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Ralph Alvarado. Chaired the Kentucky Senate Health and Welfare Committee for several years; his campaign plan lists general priorities on prices, insurance choices, health care costs and jobs.
Sources: Courier Journal (via USA Today network), Sept. 23, 2026, Campaign site
Jay Bowman. Publishes a Zero-One-Hundred tax plan with a calculator, deficit impact section and a white paper.
Zach Dembo. Publishes a detailed anti-corruption plan and priority pages on health care, immigration and AI and data center regulation.
Sources: Campaign site, Anti-Corruption Plan, Courier Journal (via USA Today network), Sept. 23, 2026
Pete Lynch. Publishes detailed policy proposals, for example a 100 percent tax on election spending above $2,500 per donor per year and specific conditions on new data centers.
Source: Campaign site, Policies
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Ralph Alvarado. Publishes plan headings on his campaign site and spoke at the Commerce Lexington forum. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, Ballotpedia, Ralph Alvarado
Jay Bowman. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025, publishes issue pages and offers a newsletter.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jay Bowman, Campaign site
Zach Dembo. Publishes plan and priority pages, spoke at the Commerce Lexington forum and has a KET program scheduled. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: WUKY, Sept. 24, 2026, Ballotpedia, Zach Dembo
Pete Lynch. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026 and publishes a policies page.
Source: Ballotpedia, Pete Lynch
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Ralph Alvarado. Practiced medicine in Winchester and represented the Winchester-area Senate district; raised his children in Clark County. He kept a home near Nashville while Tennessee health commissioner. FEC by-state totals were not retrievable at check time.
Sources: Courier Journal (via USA Today network), Sept. 23, 2026, Campaign site, Lexington Herald-Leader (via Yahoo), Sept. 9, 2026
Jay Bowman. Says he moved to Kentucky in the mid-1990s, about 30 years ago, and raised his family there.
Zach Dembo. Raised in Lexington and lives there; describes himself as a ninth-generation Kentuckian. FEC by-state contribution totals were not retrievable at check time.
Source: Campaign site, Meet Zach
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Ralph Alvarado. Headed the Tennessee Department of Health, which oversees thousands of employees, from 2023 to 2025. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC with no administrative fine.
Jay Bowman. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Source: FEC candidate page
Zach Dembo. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Source: FEC candidate page
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Ralph Alvarado. Rated above expectations on the State Legislative Effectiveness Score in 2015 to 2016 (ranked first of 27 Republicans), 2017 to 2018 and 2019 to 2020; meets expectations in 2021 to 2022. Ten of his 37 bills became law in 2019 to 2020.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking, State Legislative Effectiveness Scores data file
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. A Herald-Leader review of court records found he prosecuted at least 38 officers and guards for civil rights abuses from 2016 to 2025, winning 35 convictions with three acquittals.
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Ralph Alvarado. No public record found.
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. No public record found.
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Ralph Alvarado. No public record found.
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. No public record found.
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Ralph Alvarado. No public record found.
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. No public record found.
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Ralph Alvarado. No public record found.
Jay Bowman. No public record found.
Zach Dembo. No public record found.
Pete Lynch. No public record found.
Robert Quigley. 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 6th Congressional District?
Ralph Alvarado has the strongest record in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. Ralph Alvarado scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Zach Dembo at 63, as of October 6, 2026. Ralph Alvarado's highest marks are relevant experience and results. Zach Dembo's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jay Bowman (6 of 15 criteria), Pete Lynch (3 of 15 criteria) and Robert Quigley (0 of 15 criteria) have 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 6th Congressional District in 2026?
Ralph Alvarado (Republican), Jay J Bowman (Independent), Zach Dembo (Democratic), Pete Lynch (Kentucky Party), Robert Quigley (Write-in). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Ralph Alvarado a good candidate for Congress?
Ralph Alvarado scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 100 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Jay Bowman a good candidate for Congress?
Jay Bowman 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.
Is Zach Dembo a good candidate for Congress?
Zach Dembo scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 75 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Pete Lynch a good candidate for Congress?
Pete Lynch has public evidence on 3 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.
Is Robert Quigley a good candidate for Congress?
Robert Quigley has public evidence on 0 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.