Republican Ralph Alvarado and Democrat Zach Dimbo are locked in an increasingly competitive contest for the congressional seat. That's according to election forecasters who have moved their assessments toward a coin flip in recent days and weeks.
The latest to shift the needle are Fox News Power Rankings, which adjusted the race to "toss-up," and independent election forecaster Sabato's Crystal Ball, which has moved the race three times, going from "safe Republican" to "leans Republican" last month, then on Tuesday, shifting the contest to "toss-up."
Casey Burgat, legislative affairs program director at the George Washington University, told Spectrum News the leftward momentum mirrors movement across the country in the final weeks before voters cast their ballots.
"This move, this trend is reflective of the broader trend we've seen. Democrats have had good poll numbers for for weeks and weeks now.
It's reflected in a lot of districts that we see across the country. But here in Kentucky, a lot of things are at play, not necessarily about the candidates themselves, but the trends or the frustrations with the status quo, with the prices of everything," he said.
Alvarado and Dembo ads have dominated the airwaves for weeks, but voters finally got a feel for how the candidates fared on the debate stage last week and again this week at an event in Estill County.
Whether those appearances moved any undecided voters to the other column is an open question, just days before early voting begins.