Andy Barr and Charles Booker face off in Kentucky Senate race
All six state House seats are also on the ballot, with the 6th District race expected to be the first called nationwide on Election Day.
By Aiko Nakamura ·
Kentucky voters will select a replacement for retiring U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell on November 3. McConnell served 42 years in the Senate. The race features Republican Rep. Andy Barr and former Democratic state Rep. Charles Booker. Barr holds a clear advantage in fundraising and voter registration numbers.
The state also holds elections for all six of its U.S. House seats. One of those contests has drawn national attention. The 6th Congressional District covers Lexington and stretches to Georgetown and Richmond. It voted for President Donald Trump by 15 points in 2024. The seat has been Republican for several years.
Former federal prosecutor Zach Dembo is challenging Republican former state Sen. Ralph Alvarado in that district. At least three election forecasters currently rate the race as a toss-up. Candidates are focusing on costs, Trump policies, and corruption in Washington.
Dembo and Alvarado held a debate last week. Dembo said he needs to be an independent fighter to lower costs for Central Kentucky. Alvarado emphasized the need to keep taxes low for residents. Both candidates are positioning themselves as independent voices.
Dembo is leveraging support from Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Alvarado received a Trump endorsement during the primary. He has been less vocal about that endorsement recently. The race has seen a surge in outside spending.
Political action committees have spent more than $10 million on ads in the 6th District as of one week before the election. Most of that money went to attack ads. This figure does not include spending by the candidates or party committees. PACs supporting Alvarado have a slight edge in ad spending.
Billionaire donors and dark money groups fund these PACs. Beshear’s PAC contributed about $600,000 toward ad spending for Dembo. Joe Sonka of Kentucky Public Radio noted that this level of spending is rare for a general election in the state.
Booker has run as a progressive in the Senate race. He lost two previous bids for the U.S. Senate. He asked voters to give him a chance to end the politics of McConnell and Barr. Barr has campaigned heavily on Trump’s platform. He expressed his intent to advance the America First agenda alongside the president.
Polls close at 6 p.m. in the 6th District. The entire district is in the Eastern Time Zone. This makes it the first competitive congressional race to be called in the country. The outcome will serve as an early indicator for the rest of the election night.
Source: WVXU
