§1Candidates
Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.
§2Side by side
Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.
| Fact | Hal Rogers | Ned Pillersdorf | Mikel Wein | Gerardo Serrano |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Republican Party1, | Democratic Party1, | Independent1, | Independent1, |
| Status | Incumbent4 | Challenger | Challenger | Challenger |
| Raised | $1,026,114 through October 14, 20265 | $377,089 through October 14, 20266 | $4,250 through October 14, 20267 | Not found in the public sources we checked |
| Cash on hand | $701,9245 | $106,4946 | $2,9127 | Not found in the public sources we checked |
| Who decides on military action | Not found in the public sources we checked | Not found in the public sources we checked | His campaign website says it is time to restore the role of Congress in handling national emergencies and military action against other nations, and lists supporting legislation to strengthen the War Powers Act of 1973 and limit presidential power to initiate conflict among actions needed immediately.8, | Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack His campaign website says Congress, not a militia or any one president, must decide whether America goes to war, and that Congress must hold a recorded vote, define victory, disclose the cost and explain when troops come home; it says he would vote no on continuing an unauthorized war without a clear end.10 |
| Federal Medicaid funding | Not found in the public sources we checked | His campaign website says he does not expect to persuade voters who support the proposed cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, help paying utility bills and public broadcasting, among other programs, to back his candidacy, and says he fears for vulnerable neighbors in Appalachia.11 | Reverse the 2025 changes or increase federal funding His campaign website says funding for existing health care needs to be restored, and lists repealing cuts to Medicaid among actions needed immediately.12 | Not found in the public sources we checked |
| Immigration enforcement inside the country | His campaign website's biography says that after he was chosen in 2003 to lead the first Subcommittee on Homeland Security, he insisted on enforcement of the country's immigration laws and stronger border security.13 | Not found in the public sources we checked | His campaign website lists rolling back ICE funding for 2026 among actions needed immediately.9 | Not found in the public sources we checked |
| Federal disaster aid (FEMA) | His campaign website lists among its record items a 2022 vote for a stopgap funding bill that it says accelerated $19 billion for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund and added disaster-recovery and heating assistance resources, and a 2025 call on FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to speed flood relief and flood-control work in Eastern Kentucky; its biography also says he demanded answers from FEMA about federal responses to wildfires, hurricanes and flash floods.13, | Not found in the public sources we checked | Expand FEMA's funding and role, including more help preparing before disasters His campaign website says cuts to FEMA have hurt communities and that FEMA needs to be strengthened, lists fully funding FEMA among actions needed immediately, and lists the FEMA Act of 2025, which it says fixes and strengthens FEMA, among pending legislation.15 | Not found in the public sources we checked |
| Social Security benefit levels | Not found in the public sources we checked | Not found in the public sources we checked | His campaign website lists the Social Security Expansion Act, which it says increases annual benefits by $2,400 and switches to a more accurate inflation measure for cost-of-living adjustments, among the pending legislation on its Wealth page.16 | His campaign website says Social Security is a promise that Congress made and must keep, and that he will oppose benefit cuts.10 |
| Federal spending levels | His campaign website's biography says that as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee from 2011 through 2016 he reduced the size and scope of government by reining in federal spending and led Congress to cut $126 billion in discretionary spending, and says he remains committed to fiscal responsibility.13 | Not found in the public sources we checked | Not found in the public sources we checked | His campaign website says Washington spends too much and borrows too much, and that he will fight wasteful spending.10 |
| High-speed internet access | His campaign website's record timeline lists a continued focus on broadband affordability, access and reliability in Appalachian communities, and says he helped ensure that federal infrastructure-law funding became broadband expansion in Eastern Kentucky.14 | Not found in the public sources we checked | His campaign website says it is time to increase funding for broadband internet, and says eliminating funding for broadband makes it harder to work or learn from home.17 | Not found in the public sources we checked |
Issues only one candidate has addressed
By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.
Ned Pillersdorf — 1 issue
- Food assistance (SNAP)His campaign website says he does not expect to persuade voters who support the proposed cuts to food stamps, among other programs, to back his candidacy.11
Mikel Wein — 21 issues
- Who sets abortion lawHis campaign website says women in many states worry they cannot get the reproductive health care they need and, in its background information, cites Johns Hopkins research on births and infant deaths in 14 states that banned abortion; among its longer-term actions it lists reviving the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021, described there as barring federal restrictions on women's reproductive health care.9
- Police fundingHis campaign website says he believes adopting legislation to support Campaign Zero would help lower crime, and says Campaign Zero approaches would provide funding, support and training for partnerships between local law enforcement and citizens, including mental health personnel.15
- Collective bargaining for public employeesHis campaign website lists the Protect America's Workforce Act of 2025, which it says reverses an executive order limiting collective bargaining for federal employees, among the pending legislation on its Wealth page.16
- Federal minimum wageHis campaign website lists the Raise the Wage Act of 2025, which it says raises the minimum wage to $17.00 by 2030, among the pending legislation on its Wealth page, and lists supporting pending legislation to redistribute wealth back to workers among actions needed immediately.16
- Union organizing rulesMake it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act)
- Who sets tariffsHis campaign website lists passing pending legislation to control tariffs among actions needed immediately, and lists four measures, including bills it says would require the president to submit proposed Section 232 tariffs to Congress for approval or to get congressional approval before imposing new tariffs on allied countries, and a resolution it says would end the emergency declared to impose global tariffs.17
- Student loan forgivenessBroad cancellation of student debtHis campaign website says it is time to end student loan debt and lists supporting legislation to end student loan debt among its longer-term actions.17
- Tuition-free collegeFree tuition at public colleges and universitiesHis campaign website says it is time to pass legislation guaranteeing free tuition at public schools from early childhood through graduate, trade or professional school, and lists the College for All Act of 2025, which it says provides tuition-free community college and public four-year college, among pending legislation.17
- US Department of EducationKeep the department and its programs, or expand itHis campaign website says the Department of Education is being dismantled and lists re-funding the department and existing federal education programs among actions needed immediately.17
- Campaign finance rulesHis campaign website lists three proposed constitutional amendments to overturn the Citizens United decision among the pending legislation on its Integrity page, and lists legislation to expand voter access and for publicly funded elections among its longer-term actions.18
- Stock trading by members of CongressHis campaign website lists the Restoring Faith in Government Act, which it says prohibits members of Congress from investing in certain financial instruments such as individual stocks, among the pending legislation on its Integrity page, and lists supporting pending anti-corruption legislation among actions needed immediately.18
- Term limits for CongressHis campaign website lists an amendment for term and age limits for federal judges, Congress, the president and the vice president among its longer-term actions.18
- Military force against drug cartelsHis campaign website lists attacking private boats in international waters among the administration actions it says are meant to instill fear, and says it is time to restore the role of Congress in military action against other nations.8
- Health insurance systemOne government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)His campaign website says the country needs a government-run, universal, comprehensive health care system that is free at the point of service and paid for with federal tax dollars, and says it wants representatives and senators who will advocate and vote for the Medicare for All Act of 2025; it lists passing Medicare for All among actions needed immediately.8,
12 - Large investors buying single-family homesHis campaign website lists limiting private equity companies from purchasing single-family homes among its longer-term actions.17
- Masks and identification for immigration officersHis campaign website lists supporting legislation to unmask ICE and increase federal officer accountability among actions needed immediately, and lists three bills it says would require immigration enforcement officers to display identification or a badge number and bar ICE agents from wearing facial coverings during enforcement operations.9
- Income tax on Social Security benefitsHis campaign website lists the You Earned It You Keep It Act, which it says ends federal income taxes on Social Security benefits and removes the payroll cap to pay for it, among the pending legislation on its Wealth page.16
- Social Security payroll tax capHis campaign website lists the Social Security Expansion Act, which it says eliminates the wage cap and requires all income to pay into Social Security, and the You Earned It You Keep It Act, which it says removes the payroll cap, among the pending legislation on its Wealth page.16
- Taxes on very large fortunesHis campaign website lists the OLIGARCH Act of 2025, which it says would tax the wealth of the ultra-rich and billionaires, among the pending legislation on its Wealth page, and lists supporting legislation to tax capital gains as income among its longer-term actions.16
- Data privacyHis campaign website lists legislation to regulate dynamic pricing and limit personal data gathering by rewards and pricing algorithms among its longer-term actions.18
- Rules for artificial intelligenceHis campaign website lists legislation to strongly regulate artificial intelligence, including AI liability laws, improved whistleblower protections, parental controls and watermarks for AI content, among its longer-term actions.18
Gerardo Serrano — 1 issue
- Social Security retirement ageKeep it at 67His campaign website says he will oppose Social Security benefit cuts and another increase in the retirement age.10
Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.