Republican · Kentucky's 6th District · 2026
Ralph Alvarado
Alvarado and his wife, Dawn, raised two children in Clark County while he built a medical career.
Biography
Ralph Alvarado is the son of parents from Costa Rica and Argentina who raised him in California.1 Alongside his medical career, he once took part in Kentucky's industrial hemp pilot program, growing fiber for textiles and rope.1 He and his wife, Dawn, raised two children in Clark County and are active in their church.2
He earned biology and medical degrees at Loma Linda University before completing an internal medicine and pediatrics residency at the University of Kentucky.3 His work has included primary care, hospitals, nursing facilities and medical management.3 Elected in 2014 as Kentucky's first Hispanic state legislator, he served in the Senate from 2015 to 2023 and chaired its Health and Welfare Committee.4
Alvarado sponsored a 2019 proposal to prohibit tobacco use on public school property.5 He also sponsored the 2017 medical review panels law, which required malpractice claims to undergo review before court proceedings; Kentucky's Supreme Court invalidated it in 2018 for delaying access to courts.67 He subsequently led Tennessee's health department from January 2023 until July 2025.89
His congressional platform promises lower grocery, gas and healthcare costs, clearer insurance choices and less government waste.2 He argues that doctors and patients should have more control over healthcare decisions and supports greater state authority in federal health programs.10 He faces Democrat Zach Dembo on November 3 in the open 6th District race.10
Record and controversies
Nurses Registry settlement and referral allegation
Federal prosecutors named Alvarado among physicians allegedly given gifts to induce referrals to Nurses Registry, a company that settled a civil Medicare fraud case for $16 million in 2015.11 The government pursued the case against the company and its owners, rather than the doctors, and there were no criminal charges.11 Alvarado said the settlement had nothing to do with him and called the story an attempt to smear his reputation.11