A Kentucky congressional district that went for President Donald Trump by 15 points in 2024 is in Democrats' crosshairs.
Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, which includes the Lexington metro area, has not elected a Democrat since Ben Chandler in 2010.
Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., won reelection in 2024 by 26 points, but with him running for the Senate seat vacated by Republican Mitch McConnell, Democrats are targeting the seat to flip in what they hope will be a bullish 2026 midterm elections.
"We're giving Republicans a run for their money in places that they never thought they would have to compete before, and now they do," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Madison Andrus told Politico.
Though Republicans dismissed Democrats' chances.
"Democrats have been enjoying too much bourbon because their Kentucky 6 wishes are delusional," said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Zach Bannon to Politico.
"Republicans are poised to keep KY-06 red to retain and expand our majority," Bannon added.
The two main Democrat candidates are Zach Dembo, a Navy veteran, and Cherlynn Stevenson, a former Kentucky State representative.
Stevenson has branded herself a "Mountain Democrat," leaning into her background as someone who grew up in a mining town while Dembo calls himself a "[Gov. Andy] Beshear Democrat," tying himself to the state's popular governor.
"Winning right here in Kentucky requires cultural fluency and trust," Stevenson told Politico. "I know how to talk to working families, rural communities, and independents because I am one of those people."
"This is 100% a flippable district," Dembo told Politico.
The Republican primary is between state Rep. Ryan Dotson and former state Sen. Ralph Alvarado.
While Democrats came close to flipping the seat during the 2018 midterms, 2022 redistricting made the seat even redder.
The seat has not attracted any spending from outside groups, Politico reported. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates the seat as solid Republican.
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