Kentucky.

Tonight I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for joining us on this primary election.

Eve at this time, tomorrow will be counting the votes in the 2026 Kentucky election, the primary election.

And it's been the biggest and busiest Kentucky primary in a long time.

Kentucky has an open U.S.

Senate seat for the first time in 16 years.

There's an open U.S.

House race in Central Kentucky sixth district, and one race is getting national and even international attention.

And that's the fourth Congressional District race between incumbent Thomas Massie and Trump backed challenger Ed Gallrein.

And we'll discuss those races and some interesting Kentucky General Assembly races with our panel right here in our Lexington studio, we're joined by Robert Benvenuti, chair of the Republican Party of Kentucky, Morgan Eaves, executive director of the Kentucky Democratic Party, Trey Watson, Republican strategist and consultant and founder of Capitol Reins PR.

And Sarah Osborne, principal with M, M, L and K Government Solutions.

We certainly want to hear from you tonight.

You can send us your questions and comments by X, formerly Twitter at Pub Affairs KET.

Send an email to KY TONIGHT at ket.org or use the web form at ket.org/ky tonight, or you can give us a call at one (800) 494-7605.

Well, welcome everybody you pumped about tomorrow.

Excited.

Excited.

Well, it seems like more than 155,000 Kentuckians were pumped enough to go ahead and to participate in early voting.

30,000 absentee ballots were cast.

Trey Watson, what do you make of that kind of turnout so far?

>> It's hard to know because early voting is so new in this state.

You know, we don't know if that's if we're going to end up with a roughly similar number of people.

I know Secretary Adams is saying he'll think he thinks turned out to be a little bit higher than normal, but we don't know how much higher because it could be people who normally vote on Election Day taking advantage of early voting, or it could be more people entering the process.

So I think it's still early in our history, is an early voting state to be able to know really what the numbers mean.

>> Yeah.

Morgan Eaves what do you make of it?

>> You know, right now we have a lot of high profile races, as you mentioned.

Some are even getting international attention.

So voters across the state are really motivated.

We know that Democrats are really motivated because of the economic policies that are impacting them right now.

So they want to go out, make sure they're going to have strong candidates in November and be able to ride that blue wave.

>> There's a bumper crop of Republican primaries, right, in hotly contested races.

We mentioned, of course, the fourth district, but that's not the only one.

How do you feel about how this is shaping up and the kind of candidates that were recruited and who are running this time around?

>> Well, Renee, I think on the Republican side, you know, we have an embarrassment of riches.

We have great candidates, big races for us tomorrow.

I can tell you, I can't tell you who's going to win.

I can't tell you who I'm going to vote for, obviously, but I can tell you that we'll prevail in November regardless of who comes out of those primaries.

Very confident about that based on a whole lot of issues, not the least of which being just the huge change we're seeing in voter registration in Kentucky.

So Republicans in the last year up 30,000, Democrats down 20,000.

That's 50,000 voter swing if those folks show up.

>> So there's also a growing independent lot, right?

And so there's a lot of conversation about independents kind of self disenfranchizing during the primary.

Sarah, what do you make of the turnout?

And to Morgan's point about Democrats being energized, is that how you would characterize it?

>> Sure.

I mean, I think what we're looking at right now is what you see in a lot of elections.

It all comes down to economics and finances.

And there's a lot of people who are very frustrated right now.

I mean, two years ago, an alleged election cycle, Donald Trump promised us that we were going to have lower price on our eggs, our gas, that we weren't going to be in international conflicts.

And none of those things are true.

And at the end of the day, people care about those those issues, the issues that they care about, are the ones in their home and being able to afford things and have good jobs.

And we're just not seeing that under the current leadership out of D.C.

And I think that that gives a lot of energy to Democratic candidates.

>> So how are Republicans kind of rebuffing that.

>> Reminding people that you voted for Republican leadership?

It's a Republican state.

People in the state.

Donald Trump's numbers are down a little bit in other states.

>> What is it here?

What is it.

>> In Kentucky?

I have seen you might know a better number than than I do.

>> You know, it really has not dipped significantly.

And again, I think that's because Kentuckians keep up on the issues.

I think they pay attention to the issues, not the rhetoric.

I make it a point, for example, of talking to folks when I'm filling up my gas tank, right?

Because gas prices are high.

There's no denying that.

I think most Kentuckians understand why they're high.

I think they understand that the spike is temporary.

I think they understand the spike is required to save our children and grandchildren from a nuclear Iran, and they stand with the president on those issues.

The vast majority of the people I've talked to, and I've just returned from an RNC meeting last week, and I can tell you we're very, very, very optimistic that we'll fight the historical trend.

I think it's only three times in the last 50 years that the House has not flipped after a president, two years after a president is elected.

We don't believe that's going to happen this year.

We think we're going to be the fourth time.

So we're very confident.

The numbers look very good.

You can look at some national numbers, but these races are going to be decided in small pockets across the country, and we think we're going to dominate those pockets.

>> And I'll say at the end of the day, you know, to what chairman talked about the voter registration swing, even if some Republicans are maybe frustrated with some of the things coming out of Washington, D.C.

they don't like what they're seeing on the other side either.

So, you know, I think that that's why you're going to see Republicans regardless of what the economic climate is, Kentucky is going to stay red.

>> Well, and to that point, Morgan, because, you know, when the president was interviewed about Iran, and did he care about what Americans were experiencing it when it comes to the fuel prices and everything else that's going to trickle down because of transportation, of goods and it being more expensive, he says.

I'm not really paying attention to that.

That's not really part of why we're fighting this war.

You know, it's kind of like that second tier that it's really about having a non-nuclear Iran to the point that Trey is making, though.

Do Democrats have another solution?

Right?

People may not be willing to jump ship, but they're not sure where they're going to jump ship to.

And have you Democrat's given them a reason to join your cause?

>> Absolutely.

Number one, regarding President Trump, President Trump's statement that, no, he doesn't think about the financial well-being of the American people as the leader of this country.

The first thing he thinks about in the morning should be how the American people are doing financially.

The last thing he should think about at night is how the American people are doing financially.

So he offered yet another moment of unfettered truth, which was a great insight to not only his mindset, but also the mindset of the Republican Party.

I'm sure we'll talk tonight about all of the rubber stamp candidates that he has endorsed, which are going to do anything they can to support, you know, his continuance of economic pain on the American people.

Democrats are absolutely offering a different vision.

You know, they were united in standing against the one big, beautiful bill that will knock millions and hundreds of thousands in this in this state from their health care, that have spiked health care, premium prices, that have knocked at least 10,000 Kentuckians off SNAP.

So Democrats are united in a vision that every Kentucky family, every American family deserves to be able to live their lives and afford that life, that they shouldn't pay more for what they already have.

And they certainly shouldn't pay more simply because a billionaire president decides that today is not the day that he is going to simply not think about their financial well-being.

>> Well, let's take a little deep dive into some of these races, right?

You know, we think about and we've had this discussion before, Trey, I know we have that the Republican Party in Kentucky and nationally, there has been a seismic shift away from the McConnell conservatism to the more populist, Trump aligned politics.

If there was ever a race that that was more evident, evident, would it be the GOP primary for U.S.

Senate in Kentucky?

>> To a point, maybe.

You know, I think it's been a really interesting race because you have Andy Barr, who you know, he's a fairly mainstream Republican.

I think Daniel Cameron is a fairly mainstream Republican.

You know, what the mainstream is may have shifted a little bit, but I don't think either of these two guys, I think they would they would have fit in well in McConnell era.

They fit in well in a Trump era.

They're good public servants who are going to do a good job regardless of who wins for for the Commonwealth.

You know, I think Daniel Cameron proved to be an outstanding attorney general.

Andy Barr has been a great member of Congress.

His especially constituent services, Republicans, Democrats, independents rave about the service that they get from from, from his office.

So yeah, I think less about kind of the shift of the parties.

Both of these guys are going to do a great job, and I think they represent all wings of the party very effectively.

>> Yeah.

What do you think about that, chairman?

>> I agree, you know, I've known both those gentlemen for decades.

They're incredible individuals, great public servants, very, very talented, very intelligent.

And they are, I think, as Trey says, they have broad appeal.

They can operate in any context.

And I think they're going to do a great job for Kentucky.

And one of them will be the next United States senator from the Commonwealth.

>> Yeah.

Has the race been about conservative principles and ideals and not just who is most loyal to Trump?

>> Well, I think, you know, you got to be you got to win an election to be in the room.

And I think with the outsized influence that Donald Trump has over the Republican base right now, I think there was a lot of talk about Trump and positioning to try to get that Trump endorsement.

We saw what happened when Trump finally did endorse endorsed Andy Barr.

You saw the field clear a little bit and the poll numbers changed.

But I don't think that's what the fall campaign is going to be about.

But again, you got you got to win.

You got to have to win an election if you're going to legislate.

And, you know, I don't behoove anybody for whatever strategy they have to take to get through.

And certainly with Trump's outsized influence, I don't blame Andy Barr for kind of hit for he and both he and Nate Morris making a hard run to try to get that endorsement because based if you read the polls, it looks like that's going to end up being the deciding factor.

>> And we'll talk about this more tomorrow night on election night.

But the strategy for Daniel Cameron and kind of dissing McConnell, right?

I mean, how effective was that?

And or, or how will it end up working?

So I, we were at a Lexington forum a few weeks back, and there was an interesting question from a Kentucky voter is how we'll describe her?

Who said, and you're going to know who I'm talking about?

She said the ads in the GOP primary were more about scare, not care.

Your response to that?

And is it really the strategy of the Republican Party during this primary to emphasize more of the fear without the promise and the hope?

>> Look, I think that, like it or not, negative ads are effective positive ads.

You do those to build up positive name ID and reaction, regardless of party negative ads have a greater impact.

Studies show when you do polling, do focus groups, whatever negative ads are more effective.

And so, you know, when you're involved in what for most of the year looked like was going to be an incredibly intense, incredibly tight race.

Anything you can do to move those numbers, you got to you got to take advantage of of the tools in front of you.

And again, Renee, you always laugh when I call it aggressive contrast, but it's, it's, it works.

It moves votes.

And, you know, we're not in the business of wasting money on campaigns.

And, and.

>> Yeah.

>> It works.

They work.

>> It works aggressive.

What is it?

>> Aggressive contrast.

>> Aggressive contrast.

I've got to get that in my lexicon.

So okay.

What's the aggressive contract on the Democratic side?

Sarah Osborne.

>> Well, I think voters right now are tired.

They're weary.

They're tired of the see saw, the daily drama and trauma that comes out of the federal administration right now.

And so I think the fact that both in the Senate race here in Kentucky, the sixth congressional race, we have a lot of diverse candidates.

We're going to have outcomes.

And on Wednesday, we're going to be ready to unify as a party because we haven't had the mudslinging.

And I really do think voters, voters are tired of waking up every day and having to think about what the president is doing.

They want to go back to a Biden, Obama, even Bush era when you didn't think about your president, most of the time you didn't worry about if he was going to do something crazy that day.

You just went about your life.

And I think voters really, really want some balance in November because they don't want to have to do that anymore.

>> So talk about the caliber of the candidates who are seeking the Democratic nomination.

You know, as much as anyone that the Democrats haven't had a U.S.

Senate seat since 1992.

Wendell Ford you said they're energized now more than ever.

I know you can't pick sides because that's like asking you who your favorite child is or your favorite pet.

But what do these candidates bring?

And are they the type of caliber that could mount a really sizable challenge to a Republican in November?

>> Absolutely.

I think the majority of our candidates on the Democratic side for the U.S.

Senate seat are people who are better representations of everyday Kentuckians.

I mean, you have a former Secret Service agent who grew up on food stamps.

You have a world class horse trainer who has more of a moderate stance.

You know, who who is a newcomer to politics, certainly who have the two sort of establishment candidates and Booker and McGrath, but both of whom have very different policy points and backgrounds.

And then Pamela Stephenson, who's a leader in Frankfort.

So we also have a wealth of riches.

Oftentimes it gets said that Democrats don't have a bench, but we have people stepping up to these seats across the state who are working really, really hard.

You know, they talked about Andy Bowers, great constituent services, except we haven't seen him very much in the sixth Congressional District.

All of these Senate candidates have done more to reach constituents across the state than Andy Barr has done in the last six years in his own district.

So we feel really confident about the path forward, particularly in such a really competitive election year for Democrats.

>> Two of your four major contenders for the Democratic nomination and U.S.

Senate primary, though, are recycled and have had failed attempts at federal races before.

So is that the depth of the bench or recyclables?

>> Well, I think you see a lot of folks that are stepping up, including on the Republican side.

I mean, look, the same could be said for Daniel Cameron.

He lost a statewide race that many thought would be his.

And he came back.

And it's it's not going great for him.

I would argue it's going better for the Democrats who are, you know, kind of old timers in terms of their candidacy.

But I think you see people come back because they feel the need to serve and because Kentuckians continue to ask them to step up.

>> We've talked a lot about how Governor Beshear still remains fairly popular in this state, even with Republicans.

Is his popularity transferable in these federal races?

Will there be a bounce with them because of him?

>> Well, I think fairly popular is probably an understatement.

It's in the 60s.

He is the most popular Democratic governor in the country, I think the second most popular governor overall.

His popularity is transferable because if Democrats run on those kitchen table issues that he has become so well known for, you know, that's what voters are seeking right now.

So if Democrats run on the same platform and speak to the issues that are affecting people at their kitchen tables, that will absolutely transfer to wins and ultimately making a better Kentucky for every family.

>> Did Andy Barr really need the president's endorsement?

I mean, we don't want to make any predictions about tomorrow.

We're not there yet.

But many would say that he looks to be in a very favorable position tomorrow night.

Did he really need the endorsement?

>> Certainly didn't help or didn't hurt.

I mean, you know, I think that I.

>> Think that Freudian slip.

>> I think that, you know, there's going to be an inseparable moment in time for what I was told from different sources.

I think internal polls among candidates was starting to show Barr beginning to inch out just a little bit, right at the same time that the president made the endorsement.

So I don't know that you'll ever be able to truly separate those two moments.

Was Andy Barr an Andy Barr win inevitable, or did Trump endorsing give him the runway to get it done?

>> Correlation versus causation, right.

>> But but because of when he endorsed, I think those those two moments are going to be forever linked.

So it'll it'll be hard to tell.

I think that probably, you know, I've said for, for like a year that I thought Daniel Cameron, I love Daniel, a great guy.

He's a friend.

But his campaign was like a NASCAR driver who's a lap up, but he's out of gas and has four bald tires.

And he's just he's got to hope he can hold on until the finish line.

But Barr had had the war chest, the kind of structure in place to to campaign, and Morris was just kind of throwing his message just never really picked up.

So I think that Barr probably was going to be able to get there on his own.

But, you know, the president endorses it, gets Nate Morris out of the field, the lead widens up, and it certainly makes life easier on election night.

>> But even a few months ago, few weeks ago, Daniel Cameron was leading in the polls.

Right.

And that quickly, as you just articulated, you know, Phillip.

>> Just never had the money to do it, the resources to do the messaging he needed.

Because even though he has about 100% name ID among Republican primary voters, you got to remind people that you're on the ballot.

And, you know, when you have the lack of resources compared to the other candidates, it's hard to compete in that that, you know, that ad marketplace.

>> Yeah.

Anything you care to add there?

>> Look, I think beyond the endorsement, it's what policies do Kentuckians desire?

And it's very clear through registration, through the way President Trump has dominated in Kentucky and why nearly all of our federal delegation are ours, why we have supermajorities in the House and the Senate.

It's the policies.

It's about safety.

It's about the economy.

It's about having a closed, controlled border.

It's about influencing other parts of the world when it's necessary, getting in and getting out.

These are all things that Kentuckians believe in.

And and, you know, so you say, well, is is it about the Trump endorsement?

It's about the fact that I think both Andy Barr and Daniel Cameron have similar policy agendas as the president.

That's what ultimately counts for Kentuckians.

And, you know, with all due respect, the notion that any of these races are going to be won by criticizing Donald Trump, go for it, because that won't be the case.

Kentucky Kentuckians love Donald Trump, and they love him because of his policies, and they don't listen to the word parsing that goes on, etc.

they love his policies.

They've been great for Kentucky.

We have we do have a popular governor.

He's often popular because of Republican passed legislation that he vetoes, that the Republicans override, and then he signs the bill and gets credit for it.

That might be a communication issue on our on our part, but that's the bottom line.

Kentuckians enjoy Republican leadership and policy.

>> I'll just say this to you, Renee.

I've been working in politics since this is my 24th year of graduating college.

I went straight into working on a congressional campaign.

I've never seen whatever you want to say about it.

I've never seen a candidate whose support and endorsement was transferred as strongly as Donald Trump.

And Andy Beshear endorsed.

Lots of people last cycle didn't help.

Barack Obama, George Bush, Ronald Reagan, you name Republican or Democrat.

There's just something about Trump and his relationship with the people that support him, that his his endorsement that transfers it is very, very difficult and almost unheard of for elected officials to have that level of transference of support.

It's it's I don't know what to what to peg it on, but it's there.

And it's.

>> Worked in Louisiana to, to surpass.

>> That in Indiana.

>> And Indiana.

Ohio State legislative races.

Yeah.

Okay.

So let's go to the big race.

Fourth Congressional District.

We've got 35 minutes left.

Okay.

So this could be another big test of Trump's grip on the Republican Party.

Not perhaps that we need more evidence of that, but this is a big race, a lot of money.

What is it, $32.5 million, the most expensive in U.S.

history.

I mean, how do you contextualize what's happening with this race and why it's gotten international attention?

Robert Benvenuti.

>> Look, I think it's really interesting and people find it interesting.

And keep in mind, you know, not everybody is paying attention to this, right?

Right.

But more than probably typical would be paying attention.

Again, I think a lot of that has to do with the president.

People in Kentucky and across the country like to hear from the president.

They want to know what he thinks, who he likes, who he doesn't like.

And you just noted he's changed races over the past two weeks in multiple states around the country.

It's because they like the policy.

So they like the man, and they want to know from this individual, who do you like President Trump?

So it is important.

But look, it's an interesting race, as you know, and I'll just alert the viewers, right?

I stay out of those things as chairman of the party.

Whoever comes out of these races will, will make sure that the party does everything that needs to be done to make sure that they're successful and we know they will be successful.

So, you know, and I don't even have a vote in that one, right?

Not in that district.

But, you know, in my mind, the voters obviously will decide and then we'll make sure as a party that that candidate gets across the finish line and is is victorious in the general election, is the district that counts.

>> Yeah.

Is the fourth district competitive for Democrats?

I mean, do you have a good Democrat in the fourth Congressional District running?

>> Yeah.

There are two Democrats who are running in that district.

I think we take the view that any any district, any race is competitive.

As long as you have good candidates who are willing to get out and do the work.

And we certainly do.

I think it will be interesting.

You know, we've talked about how how much Kentuckians love Donald Trump.

So it will be interesting to see if Donald Trump's hand-picked candidate gets out from from that race.

And if he doesn't, what does that say about the argument that, you know, my Republican counterparts have made here tonight?

>> How does a Democrat run in that district that did vote for President Trump by 67% back in 2024?

What's the strategy there for Democrats?

>> The strategy is not too different from from the rest of the state, really focusing on the policies that have I mean, the fiscal policies.

It's a it's a pretty interesting area of the state politically, as we've talked about, focusing on the fiscal policies that have been really detrimental to the region and the people up there, but also focusing, I think, on how Republicans are no longer the party of small government.

You know, liberty is all about the libertarian wing of the party, which Thomas Massie represents up there for the for the Republicans is all about, you know, taking that control away, that governmental control away.

You can't look at the modern day Republican Party and say that they are the party of, of, of, you know, small government.

They they want to be involved in every aspect of your life.

And I think Democrats need to emphasize that and just present a different option.

>> Sarah, we know that President Trump did take a sizable portion of the working class vote, right.

And many of them were disenchanted with President Joe Biden because of immigration and the lack of border security that caused a surge in immigration that took away some jobs as they perceived or made suppressed wages.

And to the like, are Democrats really addressing the plight of the working Kentuckian or the working American effectively, in your view?

>> I think so, I think that you see that every day in in literally everything that Governor Andy Beshear does.

I mean, creating jobs has been a cornerstone.

We all know we hear him talk about it all the time of what he's done in this state.

And the jobs just continue to roll in.

And also, just going back to thinking about education and our schools and what we need to do in that regard and his his pre-K for all initiative that he's going to push forward with in a pilot program.

I mean, those are things that we hear from regularly, from parents.

>> Still uncertain whether that was legal or not.

And according to the leaders of the Kentucky General Assembly, who are Republican.

>> Sure.

And then that's what we have a court system for, right?

You have two branches of government, and one wants to do something and one wants to do something else, and we'll let it play out.

But I think Kentuckians overwhelmingly poll that that issue is something that's important that they want to see improved upon.

>> Yeah, but are they willing to vote for that?

Like, keep that top of mind when they vote?

>> You know, I think in this day and age, we really have to go back to talking to voters about exactly where they want to be.

But that's where you see the needle moving.

You see the needle moving.

When it comes to jobs, when it comes to education, when it comes to housing affordability, I mean, people want to be able to live their life.

I think as the health care stuff continues to come to be, there's a reason that H.R.

one doesn't take effect until after this election cycle, and it's because it's going to be detrimental to states like Kentucky.

And I think that people are going to feel that and that they're going to want to response to it.

>> Any response on that?

We'll move to another.

>> District, you know.

Our economy has been great under President Trump.

We have an issue with gas prices right now.

We've discussed that it's a matter of national security, more for our children and grandchildren, and that's what we ought to be focused on for this moment in time.

When it comes to gas prices, all other prices are down.

So, you know, I get it.

I really I do think it's somewhat ironic that that folks in Democratic Party say, after Joe Biden destroyed the economy, drove interest rates and inflation through the roof, now they say, oh, well, you know, it's been 18 months and it's not perfect.

Of course not.

You know, it's quite frankly, it's like the arsonist blaming the fireman for not for not putting the house fire out quickly enough.

>> Although the president said he could take care of it on day one.

>> Right.

Well, he did start.

That doesn't mean start and finish on day one, right?

It means start.

And he did start on day one.

And you've had no tax on tips.

You've had no tax on Social Security.

Average American got $11,000 more of their money back from the federal government this year.

Those are all things that when you talk to folks, really matters to them, and that's what they like.

And again, we've talked a lot about Donald Trump and his influence.

Why do you have influence?

You have influence because people like you and they like your policies.

They like what you stand for.

So again, run all you want against Donald Trump.

It's not going to help you win in November.

It's just not the numbers don't support it.

The fundraising numbers don't support it.

The voter registration numbers don't support it.

The numbers in our economy don't support it.

And the fact of the matter is, is that regardless of what Democrat comes out of any of these primaries, their only source of money is going to be from the radical left.

So they'll have to march to the to the drummer of the radical left, and that's going to cause them to lose those elections.

>> Is there a place Morgan in the Democratic Party for the moderate Democrat who is perhaps, maybe even pro-life?

I mean, I think of Rocky Adkins type of Democrat.

>> Absolutely.

First, I want to talk about the economy.

The economy is not great.

Trump's polling numbers on the economy are 30%.

Even amongst Republicans, those numbers are tanking.

If you talk to a single parent who is living just above the poverty line at the gas pump, and you say, it's all going to be worth it if she can't feed her kid that night because she had to put more money in gas in her car, that ain't worth it.

So rewriting history to to sleep good at night, to feel good about voting for Donald Trump and his handpicked candidates does not work for everyday people.

We cannot whitewash it.

People are struggling, and if we do not recognize that we are not, none of us are serving our party, are not serving this Commonwealth and are certainly not being honest with voters.

So, yes, Democrats are recognizing that people across this Commonwealth and across this country are hurting, and we welcome anyone into that fold who wants to create a better, more affordable, Kentucky and more affordable country, because we believe that's what every single family deserves, regardless of where they fall on the policy scale.

>> So let's talk about your candidates running in the sixth Congressional District.

Like we said, this is an open seat.

And this many well, a while back there was thought that this would be a lean, perhaps Democrat or a pickup seat for Democrats.

One, do you feel that there's still a shot with that, giving the contenders that are there fighting for the nomination, and what are they really speaking on?

Are they speaking to all these issues that you're speaking of tonight?

>> Absolutely.

We have incredibly strong candidates in the sixth district.

I mean, Cherlynn Stevenson is a well known name in that district from her service in Frankfort.

Zach Dembo is a newcomer to the political scene, but is also a career public servant.

They are both speaking to folks directly.

>> Are those the front runners?

>> Those are the front runners?

Yeah, I think I think that's fair to say.

That's where all the money is being spent.

You know, that's who's getting the most attention.

And they're both going out into the community, into every area of that district and speaking directly to voters about those kitchen table issues.

You know, they're talking about how high gas prices are.

They're talking about the near record inflation that we are seeing.

They're talking about the impacts of the one big, beautiful bill that we're going to see.

If we don't get more Democrats in Congress.

I know that we, as well as the National Party, feel really, really strongly about that race.

Other states, you know, might be redistricting to kind of cheat their way out of not flipping the House in November.

What we feel like that's going to happen because of districts like the sixth Congressional District here in Kentucky.

>> But they're also some of them.

And maybe it's not Mr.

Dembo, but Cherlynn Stevenson when she was here, sitting in the chair that Trey sitting in, you know, she's for Medicare for all single payer system.

So, I mean, there are some really progressive or maybe liberal leaning policies that they espouse.

Do you think that reflects what the constituents of the sixth district, regardless of their party, are for?

>> I think every American right now, and certainly every resident of the Sixth Congressional District, agrees that their health care prices are too high, partly because the Republicans in Congress failed to enact caps on those health care premiums.

You know, they skyrocketed, sometimes up to 3 or 4%.

So I think that everybody recognizes that that system is too high.

People are paying too much.

Republicans want to make you pay more.

And that that is not the solution.

I know that whoever comes out of that election on the Democratic side, will work to meet the needs of their constituents, even if that means, you know, changing their policy ideals to represent exactly what their constituents want.

But at the end of the day, those policies will be to promote a more affordable system for everyone.

>> Sarah, how do you look at it?

>> I think that what you've pointed out is true.

This district is pretty diverse.

I mean, you have kind of the urban core of Lexington and all the rural areas around it.

And so you have to be able to speak to voters and what they want across this congressional district.

And I think that the front runners in this race have definitely done that.

With the examples that you've used, they've been able to talk to the folks in the urban core, but also still show that they care about and hear people who are in the rural parts of the district.

>> I have for years called this district a democratic mirage, because it looks like the sort of district that Democrats have won across the country, a district anchored by a liberal college town.

However, when you look at the numbers, there's enough rural in it that trying to flip it becomes more difficult, especially after redistricting.

This last round, when they took Franklin Franklin County out of it.

You've you know, you need two things.

You need to win this district.

You're going to need the liberal bodies and money out of Lexington, and you're going to need rural votes.

But the problem is, is if you go, if you dive in to try to get all the money that you can and the bodies to help work for you in Lexington, then that you have to speak to issues that's going to drive you away from rural voters.

If you drive in on rural voters, it's going to drive you away from the money and the activity that you need.

In Lexington, we've seen people like Amy McGrath, who spent over $8 million to try to flip this district.

You know, when the district was more favorable.

I think that there's enough rural in the district that the demographics of it, you have to if you're a Democrat, you're going to have to run an absolutely flawless campaign, and you're going to have to have just the right opponent to be able to beat.

And I just don't think that that that setup exists in this election for, for Democrats.

>> Yeah, I agree completely.

And look, I think I might have been sitting in this very chair many years ago when then Governor Steve Beshear embraced Obamacare.

And I told you very directly it would be a disaster, that it would become quickly unaffordable and that it would not increase quality or obtainability of health care coverage.

And that's exactly what has happened.

So to sit now and say, oh, it's the Republicans fault, that is just ridiculous.

Anything that is socialized and socialistic fails.

Every history can tell you that a million times over.

So we've got to quit doubling down on failed socialistic policies when it comes to health care.

And we've got to be more directed, consumer directed, and get it down to the grassroots level where we're going back to the olden days, as my kids would say, where doctors actually talk to patients and not insurance companies.

That's where we need to go on that, right?

So but again, I say all that because to sit there and say somehow Republicans are responsible for exploding health care costs is absolutely ridiculous.

I mean, it's just not the case.

And again, you know, I think the vast majority of Kentuckians, based on all the data, whether it's money or registration, what have you, they understand that.

And they believe that Republican leadership and Republican policies fix problems and Democratic leadership and Democratic policies cause problems.

>> Well, Sarah, if I recall, when Kentucky embraced Obamacare.

The uninsured rate went down to like low double digits, 11%.

>> I think to say that the Affordable Care Act or connect failed in Kentucky is laughable.

I mean, the number of people alive today that had substance abuse issues just because we expanded Medicaid and they got services, it's not we can't even count that.

I mean, probably half the families in this state have been impacted in some way because of the expanded Medicaid and the just simply the substance abuse services that we were able to.

>> And we're paying the piper now with the expansion.

Now we we're having to look at cutting services because we just simply can't afford it when, if we're going to spend half to three quarters of our budget on Medicaid, you know, we can talk about all this other nice stuff that we'd like to do when all of it's being spent on Medicaid, because we have an unhealthy population and a more poor population.

You know, we we can't afford to do the other stuff that we need to do, whether it's education, infrastructure, what have you.

You know, I think chairman's right.

You know, the original sin here was, was Obamacare.

And so to try to blame Republicans for skyrocketing health care costs, it's just it's just not an accurate argument.

>> And there have been attempts to repeal Obamacare many times, but none successful.

>> Yeah.

Well, you know, no one, no one, literally no one Republican or Democrat, the smartest people would ever design the American health care system the way that it has kind of fallen.

It's just Band-Aids on top of Band-Aids.

However, you also can't just repeal it and start over again because you can't.

It just it doesn't work that way.

So we've got to work with what we've got.

And, you know, just expanding it and bringing it.

Obamacare hasn't worked the way that we were promised it would work.

It hasn't brought down costs and expanded access the way that we were promised.

It would bring down costs and expand access.

And again, to try to blame things on Republicans when it's the problem that you all created.

Like, it's just, it's, it's, it's not a genuine argument.

>> So let's talk about the sixth district GOP candidates, of which there are two, both having served in the Kentucky General Assembly.

Doctor Ralph Alvarado, who just recently was the Commissioner of health for Tennessee, and Ryan Dotson, who is well, he's still serving in the General Assembly until December 31st.

Correct.

Robert Benvenuti so talk to us about the caliber of these candidates and what else you might want to say about it.

I don't want to him you in so.

>> Correct, correct.

And I have only, you know, shared who I'm voting with with Mr.

Figgs, my cat.

He's very loyal.

Mr.

Figs.

Yes.

He's very loyal.

He's not going to say anything.

I saved him from certain death.

So I know that he will never whisper a thing.

But.

But look again.

Two strong candidates.

I never served with Mr.

Dodson.

He was right.

He was in or I was out before he was in.

Right.

I did serve with Doctor Alvarado.

In fact, we worked on many bills together.

So again, two highly qualified, highly skilled individuals.

Tomorrow I will call the winner up and I'll say you were my guy the whole time.

Right.

And they won't know any different.

And that's my role as chairman.

And then, you know, we're going to immediately sit down and we're going to talk about how they're going to dominate in November.

And both those candidates can do just that.

>> And the fact that one earned the Trump endorsement big.

That was for Ralph Alvarado.

>> Sure, absolutely.

Again, as we've talked about, when somebody very popular says, you're my guy, you have people that say, well, if he's your guy, he'll be my guy, too.

>> Although I've had conversations with Doctor Ralph Alvarado and other venues, and I think there are some concern about vaccine policy and the secretary, Robert Kennedy.

Right.

So it's interesting, you know, if he is elected, how he will operate in that role as physician lawmaker, right, as he's done here in Kentucky?

>> Sure.

And very effectively.

I don't think anybody could argue with that.

And again, you know, I don't know who agrees with everybody on every issue.

I haven't found that person yet that I agree with on every issue.

So there's always going to be some disagreements, right?

And you work those things out and, and you know what, how let's if Doctor Alvarado wins tomorrow, you know, that will be up to him to address those issues.

Right.

>> Trey Alvarado with a sizable lead.

It seems like he had a pretty good lead before the Trump endorsement.

And I think that that kind of is looking that that's going to be the most likely scenario.

Doctor Alvarado I know, I know Ralph really well.

And he's he's a thoughtful person.

He's a conservative person, but he's also not unreasonable.

And he gets along well with.

>> Would you call him a moderate?

>> No.

Definitely not.

He's he's he is a conservative.

But he also again, he's he's a physician.

So that does moderate some of his views when it comes to some health care issues, you know, specifically some of the stuff that that Secretary Kennedy gets involved with, you know, he's probably not going to be there on some of those.

But he's Ralph had a reputation for being someone you could work with when he was in the General Assembly, regardless of party, regardless of of, you know, what it was he he's he's a good he's a good legislator.

And that's what we need right now, especially with the Democrats may flip the House.

We may keep the House.

Either way, it's going to be very tight margins.

And we need legislators who are going to be thoughtful and who want to go work to get things done.

And that's something Raphael did in the state Senate.

>> So if it's let's just say, if it is Ralph Alvarado, which Democrat could he beat more easily?

>> I think certainly Petrie and Stevenson are going to be further to the left, and they're going to have more.

Even though I don't like to talk about her, her her mountain roots, her policy positions and her votes and her history in Frankfort certainly belie that.

And put her further to the left.

It's going to make her harder in the rural areas, a little bit more of a blank slate.

He's going to be able to get out and kind of, you know, say whatever he did serve in the Trump administration.

His ads have kind of talked about that.

And I think that's a play for for more of a general election audience to say, well, I was with Trump and I didn't like what I saw.

And so I got out, you know, I think that that Dimbo may may be the, the tighter race.

But again, I think that just the demographics of the district, the way it lays out, it's going to be really hard for a Democrat to win that regardless of of what the national political atmosphere is.

There's just enough rural in there that it makes it really tough.

>> Okay.

Morgan Eaves, what do you say?

>> I think it's interesting that they had to import Ralph Alvarado from Tennessee.

>> He never lost his house.

>> Well, his his his ethical disclosure papers with the government of Tennessee say differently.

They reflect a Tennessee address.

>> Wise was still farming.

She got her hair cut by.

>> The same people.

I think it's.

>> Interesting that they have such a deep bench, yet they couldn't find a competitive candidate within that district.

Look, I mean, Ralph Alvarado has really storied history in the nursing home community and this state, certainly in that district.

I think there's a lot of good opposition research out there that could be used against him, particularly at a time when Americans are so focused on access to health care and affordability of health care.

I think he's another one who says something to you in private about vaccines, but is all for Trump the minute that he gets that rubber stamp.

And I do not believe that the people of the sixth district, you know, deserve someone who's going to be the quickest one to get down on that knee and kiss the ring.

That is not a qualifier for office.

So it's a qualifier for something, but not for office.

>> So who would the Democratic nominee most like to be matched up with in November for a better chance of flipping the seat?

>> You know, obviously Ryan Dotson is more of a character and has, you know, for all of.

>> Why do you say that.

>> He has more extreme views to the point of almost laughable.

I mean, he is not someone I think many people in his own party take seriously.

You've heard them talk for the majority of this conversation about why Alvarado is going to be the guy.

And I think there's a reason for that, that Dotson has not been able to get that steam behind him, even from his own party.

So he certainly has a lot of views that I think would really alienate Lexington voters, which would be an advantage in the general election.

>> Save women's sports.

He was the one who sponsored that piece of legislation a couple of years ago.

>> Yes.

And, you know, he had a fundraiser at his church which broke all sorts of IRS laws and campaign finance laws.

But it's okay for him to break those laws.

So who knows what he would do if he were a congressman.

But regardless, I think Democrats are going to have the strongest candidate, and we are going to have the strongest message in November.

And I wish Ralph Alvarado a great trip back to Tennessee.

>> So is there going to be some explaining to do if Ryan Dotson were to be the nominee or even Ralph Alvarado, considering what she said about the nursing home issues, which we.

>> I'll leave that to the candidates, but.

But I will tell you this, just because I know, because I had a conversation with Ralph, you know, he was coming up on the weekends from Tennessee to take care of people in nursing homes because he felt so loyal to him.

He didn't want to didn't want to leave him.

So yeah, I think that gives you a little bit of insight into the kind of person he is.

And again, very successful state senator, got a lot of good legislation passed, worked with others.

And and, you know, even in times, I don't really think he needed to work with others.

He did.

So again, we'll see what happens after tomorrow.

And then we'll we'll reset, spring training will be over and we'll reset and we'll get ready, get ready for the for the real games that count and we'll prevail in November.

>> You have any thoughts on spring training?

Sarah?

I am.

>> I am proud of the people who put their name on the ballot here in the Democratic primary.

And I think that those candidates are all ready to go.

And I think that more than anything, they've kept this a clean campaign, and they're going to be ready to unify the winner on Wednesday.

>> Do you either either side do you hear from people, though, that they're tired of the gridlock?

They're tired of the scare Knott scare tactics, that they want people who are not afraid to work across the aisle?

Is there any premium on that from Kentucky voters?

>> Look, I think so, right?

Because at the end of the day, if you say you want to be a legislator, yet people expect you to legislate.

And as I learned from my time in the House, that tends to mean some compromise.

And, you know, again, I think when you look at the candidates, they're used to being in that in that process.

At the same time, people expect you to have values and to stand by those values, because the bottom line is that's why they elected you in the first place, because they trust your judgment and they think their values are most like your values.

So another issue for the Democrats is they're on the wrong side of a lot of 90, ten, 80, 20 issues, and they're not going to be able to explain that away.

And again, their money is going to be coming from very radical leftist, socialist Marxist.

And that's not Kentucky Kentucky is freedom loving.

And as they have shown over the past decade, they look at Republicans, they look at Democrats, and they say, look, neither.

Neither side is perfect, right?

But we're more like Republicans than the Democrats.

And that's why we win elections.

>> Morgan.

>> I'd like you to have a show where you have people talk about the difference between socialists and Marxists.

>> What's the difference?

>> Well, the difference is one is straight communism and the other one is creating, you know, equality by providing equity.

>> Do you have any of those candidates who are aligned with those principles?

>> Certainly not communists, no.

>> What about, you know.

>> It's scare tactics.

We have had socialist programs in this country for a long time.

It's not a scary word.

I'm sure your parents, your parents, my parents, your parents all benefit from the Social Security Administration.

I'm sure half of your family is probably on Medicaid or Medicare.

Those are socialist programs.

>> I think that you're forgetting who pays into Social Security, right?

That's the government holding your money.

>> That's not a scary word.

But I don't like when people use those scary words.

But I do think that people want compromise.

People are tired of.

There's a reason that Andy Barr DEI di.

You know, ads got so much heckling from both sides.

They were too dramatic, they were too negative, they were too scare tactics.

People want someone to acknowledge the pain that they're feeling right now, and they want to send people there who are able to get things done.

We were talking before this about Thomas Massie, and I think a lot of what people don't like about him is that he cannot compromise, but we really need people who can.

And I think folks on both sides of the aisle are feeling that desperately right now.

So there always is room for that if we let there be room for that.

>> So this viewer from Madison County, I'm sorry, we're just now getting some of the viewer comments and questions says, quote, I find it interesting that so many of the ads run by Barr were racist, and this appeared to be okay with the GOP.

Why is that quote unquote from the viewer?

>> Yeah, well, I didn't find any of his ads to be racist.

And quite frankly, I've known Andy for 30 plus years.

He's the farthest thing from a racist.

So I can't answer that question because it makes no sense to me.

>> Well, I think they're probably referring to the DEI ad, which many people thought would went too far.

And it's not a crime to be white.

>> Or stick.

>> To the vest.

See, this is great because the vast majority of Kentuckians do do not agree with DEI policies.

Right.

And we know that for several reasons.

One, because Republicans don't believe in that, and they elect Republicans to the General Assembly.

Right.

And they continue to elect Republicans.

I mean, if you think about it, it wasn't all that long ago, and I was blessed to be a part of it, that we flipped the House to Republican after 95 years of Democratic rule.

And the only thing Republican, the only thing Kentucky voters have done since then is double down on that decision, where now we have supermajorities.

I mean, I walk in there and I'm amazed because I knew a different world for my first for for my first four years out of the six years I served.

So again, the whole this is the rhetoric versus the policy.

And the Democrats can talk about the rhetoric and they can have the bumper stickers.

We'll deliver the strong policies for Kentuckians.

>> Any further comment on that?

Because I'll go to the next viewer comment.

Pete Countryman from Radcliff.

Could Daniel Cameron have been elected governor if the Senate president, House speaker, supermajority Republican legislators and his numerous challengers in the primary actually supported him?

Will there be an actual attempt by the aforementioned to help him should he win the Senate primary?

>> I don't think there was anybody that from the Republican side that didn't support Daniel Cameron from that list of people that Pete just named, I don't think all those people were behind Daniel Cameron in 2023.

And yeah, I think whoever wins comes out this primary is going to have the full backing of of the party that that party apparatus, all the important players in it.

I don't I don't I don't buy into the premise of that question.

>> Well, I don't buy into that either.

But but let me just set that aside for a minute and say that I anxiously await whoever comes out of that primary, because again, they'll be the next senator from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and they'll be filling the shoes of one of the greatest American leaders, certainly, that Kentucky has ever known.

And and really the United States has ever known.

So they'll be filling the shoes of a legend.

It will be a big job, and we'll make sure they get there.

>> To the Republicans.

This from Art and Boone County.

What are the policies of President Trump do Kentucky voters agree with besides his tax policies?

Do you know.

>> You know, I think they agree with having a strong military.

And I think that President Trump's attempts to stop Iran from accessing nuclear weapons.

I think that's that's a good thing.

I don't think anybody can argue that.

And, you know, I think that trying to bring some sanity back into the way that government operates.

I mean, he's not it's not the perfect situation.

But, you know, trying to say that we're going to treat everybody equally, that if you work hard and you do what you do what's asked of you, that you're going to be able to get ahead in this country.

I think a lot of people got to a point where they felt like, and I think it was across every demographic.

And I think for a variety of reasons, people felt like, I'm I'm getting left behind.

It's for other people, but not for me because I'm not I don't fit into this group or that group.

And Donald Trump, whether you like it or not, he's trying to wipe those slates clean to where it's based on pure merit, which is kind of what the country was founded on.

>> Rebuttal.

>> I've worked hard my whole life.

I'm not an ambassador like Nate Morris.

Maybe those are the only people that Donald Trump is rewarding.

>> You know that that doesn't make sense to me because as you brought up earlier, Renee, Donald Trump made inroads with numerous groups that typically are do not turn out for Republicans.

Again, there's a reason for that.

Law and order, equal treatment, not equitable treatment, two very different things.

And quite frankly, somebody who I think a lot of people look at and say, this, this guy's got my back.

And again, we're talking about the president a lot tonight.

It's fine with me.

I'll talk about him all night long.

But that translates down where they feel the same way about our House members and our senators, that here are folks who are working hard every day to make Kentucky great, right?

Whether it's through tax cuts, income tax cuts, which have been significant and which have allowed Kentuckians, remember, it's your money to begin with, allows you to keep some of your more of your own money, whether it's things like the Safer act in Kentucky.

Those are fundamental issues that Kentuckians believe in.

And, you know, they want safe streets.

They don't want men in their daughters locker rooms.

They don't want men in their daughters competing against their daughters in sports, injuring them.

They want bad people to be incarcerated to protect good people.

These are all common sense things.

They don't want open borders.

They want Good jobs.

More people are working today across this country than ever before.

Than ever before.

That's remarkable.

And again, Kentucky has seen good job growth.

And it's it's because of the bills passed by our great House and Senate here in the Commonwealth.

>> Donald Trump did something interesting that I think both parties failed.

And that's why Donald Trump was able to rise up in the Republican primary and why he was able to win the general election in 16.

To start with that, he he was speaking.

You can we can have arguments all night long about his solutions to these problems.

But he spoke to voters who felt like they were being ignored in Washington, D.C.

that neither party was paying attention to things that they were experiencing out in outside of the major urban centers of the country.

Again, we can argue about his solutions to them, but the fact of the matter is both Republican establishment and Democrats were not.

They were basically telling people, no, those aren't.

Those aren't the real problems.

But it's what voters were experiencing at home.

And Trump Trump saw it and spoke to it.

And that's kind of how we how we got him.

I think it's a lesson that both parties need.

>> To learn now that he's not delivering on that populist message, and that's why his numbers are trending down, even here in Kentucky.

And I think they will continue to do that leading into November.

>> Well, we'll have to leave it there, but we're going to have three hours tomorrow night to talk about this even more.

And you're going to get the results, too, not just all of us talking.

So join us tomorrow night at 7:00 eastern six central for our special election coverage.

And we'll wrap things up Wednesday night on Kentucky edition.

We're here for Kentucky Edition at 630, so just tune your tube from 630 to about 10:00 eastern tomorrow night, because we're going to have it all for you right here on KET.

We got the best team around to be here tomorrow night.

You don't want to miss it.

And I can't wait for you to join us tomorrow night beginning at 7:00 eastern for election coverage.

And of course, 630 for Kentucky Edition.

Before then.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Have a good rest of the evening and I will see you in a few hours.

Take good care and go vote.