"Kentucky Six, you just delivered one of the first flips of the night," Gov. Andy Beshear said, introducing Dembo to a jubilant crowd of supporters at the Central Bank Center Tuesday night. He went on to correctly predict that the party would again take the House.
Dembo, a former Navy JAG officer, federal prosecutor, and first-time candidate, called the win a team effort and only the first step in beating back corruption and political establishment that he said has lost the faith of the American people.
"Many of us fear that at a time when too many have lost faith in our democracy, people might give up fighting for it. But looking around this room at y'all, it is very clear Central Kentucky has not given up that fight," Dembo said.
Polls have closed in Fayette County. Staked out at #Dembo HQ. And now the waiting begins… #midterms
— Josh James ☯️ (@joshjameswuky.bsky.social) 2026-11-03T23:06:43.282Z
Speaking with reporters, the winning candidate said House oversight of the Iran war needs to happen immediately. He also told WUKY reversing policies in the 2025 GOP tax and spending bill is his priority on day one.
"First thing, I think we have to do is reverse these Medicaid cuts. They were put in in a sneaky way so that they don't start until 2027, but the benefit is we can stop some of the damage before it happens," he said.
Dembo's opponent, Ralph Alvarado, wished Dembo well and thanked supporters.
"I know this is not the outcome that we all were hoping to celebrate. We worked really hard on this campaign. We believed in this campaign. We believed in the message," the former state senator said.
Now, Kentucky's Sixth District will have a Democrat in Washington for the first time since 2013.