<p>Governor Andy Beshear’s (D-KY) political action committee is investing $250,000 in an advertising campaign targeting GOP candidate Ralph Alvarado in Kentucky’s open 6th Congressional District.</p>
<p>The 6th District, which includes Lexington and surrounding areas, features a race between former state Senator Alvarado and Democratic former federal prosecutor Zach Dembo, who is endorsed by Beshear. Outgoing Representative Andy Barr (R-KY) is leaving to run for Senate. President Donald Trump has endorsed Alvarado.</p>
<p>Alvarado was chosen as the running mate of former Kentucky GOP Governor Matt Bevin during Bevin's unsuccessful reelection campaign in 2019. Beshear’s PAC, In This Together, aims to associate Alvarado with Bevin, who has faced criticism for low approval ratings and is currently incarcerated due to contempt of court charges related to a child support case.</p>
<p>The advertisement claims Alvarado “stood side by side with Bevin” during Bevin’s controversial pardons as governor.</p>
<p>The ad states, “Time and again, Alvarado chose his buddy Matt Bevin over protecting Kentucky families. Vote against Matt Bevin’s running mate, Ralph Alvarado, for Congress.”</p>
<p>The advertisement references pardons issued by Bevin before he left office, including one for a convicted murderer whose family had contributed to Bevin’s campaign. At the time, Alvarado was in the state Senate, where the Republican majority condemned the pardons.</p>
<p>Alvarado responded, stating, “I, along with the Senate Majority Caucus in Frankfort, condemned Matt Bevin’s grotesque pardons and opposed them publicly and in the strongest possible terms when they happened,” according to a statement to the Kentucky Lantern.</p>
<p>Alvarado also accused Dembo and his supporters of misrepresenting his record, asserting that the public record contradicts their claims.</p>
<p>The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified Kentucky’s 6th District as competitive for a Democratic pickup and has intensified its focus on Alvarado since Bevin's arrest.</p>
<p>Bevin was arrested in early September after a judge found him in contempt of court for not providing financial records in his divorce and child support proceedings.</p>
<p>Recent polls in the race indicate close margins between Alvarado and Dembo, but forecasters categorize the race as “likely Republican.” In 2024, Barr won the district by a margin of 26.8 percentage points, while Trump secured a 15-point victory in the same area.</p>