Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · Kentucky's 6th District

4 candidates on the ballot — an open seat, with no incumbent running.^1,2,3

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Ralph Alvarado

Republican Party · Open seat

Zach Dembo

Democratic Party · Open seat

Jay J Bowman

Independent · Open seat

Pete Lynch

Kentucky Party · Open seat

§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.

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.

Zach Dembo — 15 issues

Abortion law
Legal until about 24 weeks, as under Roe v. Wade, and later to protect the woman's life or health
His campaign website says a woman who wants an abortion in her first trimester should have that right, that abortions should be safe, legal and rare, and that he would be a vote to codify Roe v. Wade.¹¹
Who sets abortion law
A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
His campaign website says he would be a vote to codify Roe v. Wade and that he will not let Kentucky's current abortion law become the law of the land nationally.¹¹
Drawing district lines (redistricting)
Have independent commissions, not lawmakers, draw district lines
His campaign website says every state should have an independent, nonpartisan commission to draw district lines.²¹
Child care costs
His campaign website says he supports universal pre-K and affordable child care.¹¹
Child tax credit
His campaign website says he supports expanding the child tax credit.¹¹
Paid family and medical leave
His campaign website says he supports creating incentives to reward companies that offer sufficient parental leave for their workers.¹¹
Aid to Ukraine
His campaign website says showing China and Russia that the U.S. will not support attempts to take over other nations means supporting Ukraine and protecting Taiwan's sovereignty.²⁴
Iran's nuclear program and sanctions
His campaign website says the U.S. should deescalate what it calls a war of choice in Iran, and describes what has happened in Iran as a dangerous abuse of power that violates international law.²⁴
Military force against drug cartels
His campaign website says what has happened with boats coming from Venezuela is a dangerous abuse of power that violates international law.²⁴
US role in NATO
His campaign website says the U.S. should be defending its allies and strengthening NATO rather than weakening alliances.²⁴
ACA premium tax credits
His campaign website says he will fight to restore and expand the ACA tax credits so that health insurance stays within reach for working families.²⁶
Drug prices compared with other countries
Require that all US buyers pay no more than other wealthy countries do
His campaign website says he will push for a law to make drug companies charge the same in the U.S. as they do overseas.²⁶
Federal Medicaid funding
Reverse the 2025 changes or increase federal funding
His campaign website says Medicaid cuts should be reversed and Medicaid fully funded so that working families and seniors can access care.²⁶
Help for first-time homebuyers
His campaign website says it supports expanding first-time homebuyer programs like the VA loan program to public servants such as teachers, nurses and first responders.¹⁶
Masks and identification for immigration officers
Require visible ID and body cameras, and ban most face coverings
His campaign website says ICE should be held to the same standards as other law enforcement, including body cameras and no hiding identities behind masks.²⁷

Jay J Bowman — 6 issues

Military spending
His campaign website says the U.S. should evaluate current defense spending, prioritize essential programs, modernize equipment, reduce waste and work with allies to keep a strong national defense while minimizing unnecessary costs.¹⁴
Asylum rules
His campaign website says border security measures should be strengthened while ensuring that human rights are protected and that asylum seekers are given due process.¹⁴
Legal immigration levels
Admit more immigrants, such as by adding work visas or clearing family backlogs
His campaign website says it supports expanding visa programs for skilled workers, students and family members of U.S. citizens so that more people can enter the country legally.¹⁴
Social Security benefit levels
His campaign website says its spending cuts would not touch Social Security checks or Medicare coverage, and that existing payroll tax structures would stay intact.³¹
Business tax breaks
His campaign website's tax white paper describes ending special-interest carve-outs and corporate deductions while adding a 150% deduction for domestic research and development and a 100% upfront write-off for hard assets.¹⁸
Targeted tax breaks for individuals and families
Cut back these breaks and use the money for lower tax rates or deficit reduction
His campaign website's tax plan eliminates all individual itemized deductions, including the home mortgage interest deduction, and says the $100,000 exemption replaces them.^18,29

Pete Lynch — 9 issues

Cash bail and pretrial release
End or reduce cash bail, with judges deciding release based on risk
His campaign website says he supports ending cash bail.¹⁷
Marijuana laws
Make it legal for adults to buy and use
His campaign website lists recreational marijuana legalization among its policy priorities, saying prohibition has failed and that legal marijuana could provide income for farmers, generate tax revenue and reduce the black market.¹⁷
Qualified immunity for police
End qualified immunity for police officers
His campaign website says he supports ending qualified immunity.¹⁷
Gig worker status
His campaign website says he supports protecting gig economy workers and independent contractors.¹⁷
Foreign aid
His campaign website says he supports directing foreign aid to food, medicine and rebuilding communities rather than weapons.¹⁷
Military aid to Israel
Reduce or end military aid to Israel
His campaign website says he supports stopping funding for Israel's military and ending all military aid for offensive purposes.¹⁷
Limits on rent increases
His campaign website says he supports capping rent increases for corporate-owned rental properties.¹⁷
Taxes on very large fortunes
His campaign website says he supports taxing billionaires 10% of net worth above $1 billion and counting capital gains as income.¹⁷
Data privacy
His campaign website says he supports a federal law that would require a warrant before companies give individuals' information to law enforcement, ban data brokers from selling Americans' geolocation and restrict license-plate-reader systems, and says companies that monetize user data should let people opt out and pay those who opt in.¹⁷

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.

All 2026 races in Kentucky

Fact	Ralph Alvarado	Zach Dembo	Jay J Bowman	Pete Lynch
Party on the ballot	Republican Party^1,3	Democratic Party^1,3	Independent^1,3	Kentucky Party^1,3
Status	Open seat	Open seat	Open seat	Open seat
Raised	$2,307,369 through October 14, 2026⁴	$3,205,462 through October 14, 2026⁵	$18,958 through October 14, 2026⁶	Not found in the public sources we checked
Cash on hand	$180,812⁴	$620,330⁵	$216⁶	Not found in the public sources we checked
Outside spending	$3,107,287 for · $3,270,890 against⁷	$1,201,797 for · $2,698,919 against⁸	$0 for · $51,544 against⁹	$0 for · $51,544 against¹⁰
Birth control and IVF	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he would protect fertility treatments like IVF.¹¹	His campaign website says everyone deserves control over their body and medical decisions, and that too many women still face obstacles to basic care, from birth control to family planning.¹²	Not found in the public sources we checked
Farm payments and crop insurance	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says farmers need to be protected by protecting crop insurance, expanding water resources and reforming the tax code to protect family farms.¹³	His campaign website says Congress should pass the 2026 Farm Bill to lock in long-term support for Kentucky farms.^14,15	Not found in the public sources we checked
Federal minimum wage	Not found in the public sources we checked	Raise to $15 or more His campaign website says everyone should make a living wage of at least $15 an hour and notes that Congress has not raised the minimum wage in 17 years.¹⁶	His campaign website says it supports raising the federal minimum wage to a level that reflects the cost of living in different regions and indexing it to inflation.¹⁴	His campaign website says he supports minimum wages that reflect local living wages, with annual adjustments based on changes in the local cost of living.¹⁷
Tariffs	Not found in the public sources we checked	Lower or remove most tariffs His campaign website says tariffs are taxes on Kentucky businesses and consumers, and that in Congress he will fight to end the trade war and support free and open trade so that farmers and distillers can compete globally.¹³	His campaign website says Congress needs to reverse the course on tariffs and other economically restrictive measures to protect farmers, and its tax white paper describes replacing product-specific tariffs with a 10% American Market Access Fee on imported non-essential manufactured finished goods, with food and medicine exempt.^14,15,18	Not found in the public sources we checked
Union organizing rules	Not found in the public sources we checked	Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act) His campaign website says he will fully support the PRO Act and defend the right to collectively bargain and unionize.¹⁶	Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act) His campaign website says it supports policies that protect and strengthen workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively.¹⁴	Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act) His campaign website says he supports strengthening workers' bargaining power by repealing the Taft-Hartley Act outright or passing the PRO Act to amend it.¹⁷
Tuition-free college	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Free tuition at community colleges His campaign website says it supports two years of tuition-free community college for every American.¹⁹	Free tuition at public colleges and universities His campaign website says he supports four years of free public college or four years of subsidized vocational training for every young Kentuckian.¹⁷
US Department of Education	Not found in the public sources we checked	Keep the department and its programs, or expand it His campaign website says the administration and Congress have taken a step in the wrong direction by basically eliminating the Department of Education and its ability to help, and says he will fight to fully fund public schools and jobs training programs.²⁰	His campaign website says federal education policies such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top should be revised to give states and local school districts more autonomy, and that local districts should rely less on federal grants.¹⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked
Campaign finance rules	Not found in the public sources we checked	Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United His campaign website says he will introduce an amendment to end the Citizens United decision, fight to ban donations from corporate political action committees and get rid of dark money in politics.^21,22	His campaign website lists making it harder for super PACs to coordinate with candidates and parties, requiring super PACs to disclose their donors, considering limits on donations to super PACs and encouraging public financing of campaigns.¹⁴	Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United His campaign website says he supports taxing election spending above $2,500 per individual or corporation per year at 100%, taxing lobbying spending above $1 million per year at 100%, banning unlimited donations to super PACs, making political spending fully transparent and matching small donations.¹⁷
Stock trading by members of Congress	Not found in the public sources we checked	Ban members and their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks His campaign website says he will push for a full ban on trading individual stocks or cryptocurrency by members of Congress and their immediate families, and for banning members from using prediction markets.^21,22	Not found in the public sources we checked	Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks His campaign website says he supports banning all members of Congress from buying or selling individual stocks.¹⁷
Term limits for Congress	Not found in the public sources we checked	Longer limits, such as 12 to 18 years in each chamber His campaign website says he will propose term limits of 12 years on members of the House and Senate and hold himself to that standard.²¹	His campaign website says it supports term limits for Congress, saying they would stop career politicians from putting re-election ahead of problem-solving and encourage public service as a duty rather than a career.¹⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked
Data centers and electricity costs	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he will push for legislation that requires transparency and local input in data center siting, holds companies accountable for their environmental impact and makes sure Big Tech cannot offload rising energy costs onto Kentucky families.²³	Pause or limit new data centers His campaign website says it supports a moratorium on new data center builds, requiring data centers to pay for the roads, water and power lines they use, and a national plan in which Congress sets clear rules.¹⁴	Pause or limit new data centers His campaign website says he supports a moratorium on new data center construction and, before any new construction begins, requiring data centers to pay the full cost of grid upgrades and expansion, rely on on-site energy during peak hours and build renewable generation at least equal to their load.¹⁷
Who decides on military action	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says that, at a bare minimum, congressional oversight and agreement from international allies are needed before the country goes to war.²⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked	Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack His campaign website says he supports amending the War Powers Resolution so that only Congress can decide whether to go to war or begin new military engagements.¹⁷
Health insurance system	His campaign website lists clearer health insurance choices and more affordable health care as parts of his plan, and says he will work with Republicans and Democrats to fix health care, lower costs, increase transparency and give patients more control over their care.²⁵	Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy His campaign website says he will fight for a public option in health care, along with price transparency requirements, caps on out-of-pocket expenses and reforms to reduce administrative overhead and waste in the insurance system.²⁶	One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All) His campaign website says it supports a universal single-payer health care system, which it describes as run through a federal agency that administers the system, processes claims and pays providers, and which could be private, government or a hybrid; it says the system would be phased in gradually.¹⁴	One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All) His campaign website lists Medicare for All among its top policy priorities, including universal coverage for all Americans, no out-of-pocket costs for essential services and prescriptions, simpler administration and accessible care in rural and underserved areas.¹⁷
Large investors buying single-family homes	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says it supports stopping Wall Street from buying up homes.¹⁶	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he supports banning foreign and hedge fund ownership of single-family homes and limiting residential ownership to 25 units per individual and 500 per corporation.¹⁷
Immigration enforcement inside the country	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he will always be for immigration enforcement against violent criminals and a secure border, and that ICE should focus on actual violent criminals rather than law-abiding people in courthouses, schools or churches.²⁷	Not found in the public sources we checked	Abolish ICE and move any remaining enforcement work to other agencies His campaign website says he supports abolishing ICE and replacing it with an immigration enforcement organization that respects human life and the rule of law.¹⁷
Legal status for immigrants here without permission, including Dreamers	Not found in the public sources we checked	A path to citizenship for most who meet requirements such as background checks His campaign website says it supports immigration reform that secures the border while creating a path to citizenship for people already here who are working hard and contributing to their communities.²⁷	A path to citizenship for most who meet requirements such as background checks His campaign website says it supports a fair and accessible process for undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria to gain legal status and, eventually, citizenship.¹⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked
Corporate tax rate	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website's tax plan applies a flat 20% rate to business profits above the first $100,000, and says multinational corporations that keep half or more of their supply chains overseas would pay 25% instead.²⁸	Raise it, for example to 25% or 28%, or back to the 35% top rate in place before 2018 His campaign website says he supports raising the corporate tax rate to 50% and using the revenue to fund a United States Profit Dividend distributed equally among all adult Americans.¹⁷
Federal income tax rates	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Replace the current income tax with a single flat rate or a national sales tax His campaign website's Zero-One-Hundred tax plan would replace the current individual, corporate and capital gains taxes with a two-tier system in which the first $100,000 of income is exempt and income above that is taxed at a flat base rate of 20%, which would drop to 15% if the budget stays balanced for three consecutive years; it also eliminates all individual itemized deductions.^18,29	His campaign website says he supports exempting the first $25,000 of income from federal taxes, lowering taxes for households earning under $250,000 and raising rates for those earning over $1 million.¹⁷
Federal spending levels	His campaign website says his plan to make everyday life more affordable includes eliminating wasteful government spending that drives up inflation.²⁵	Not found in the public sources we checked	Cut spending enough to balance the budget within 10 years His campaign website says its tax plan includes an immediate across-the-board 6.5% spending cut, a freeze on total federal spending at the first-year level and a balanced budget by the fourth year.^18,30	Not found in the public sources we checked
High-speed internet access	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website lists expanding rural broadband to support smarter farming among its agriculture priorities.^14,15	His campaign website says he supports guaranteeing every Kentuckian access to fast, reliable and affordable internet.¹⁷
Rules for artificial intelligence	Not found in the public sources we checked	Set rules for specific risks and uses, such as deepfakes, hiring decisions and safety disclosures His campaign website says he supports AI safeguards to protect children interacting with chat bots and to keep the newest models from posing major cybersecurity risks, and says companies should have to give notice before replacing employees with AI and pay into a fund to retrain workers who lose their jobs to it.²³	His campaign website says it proposes a Cabinet-level AI and Innovation position, confirmed by the Senate and accountable to Congress, to make sure AI augments workers rather than replacing them, establish congressional oversight of federal AI use and promote fair access for small businesses and communities.¹⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked