Scrutinel— 2026 midterms

UpdatedOct 10, 2026, 11:27 AM EDT
To election day24 days
Simulations200,000

Kentucky 6th District

Currently held by a Republican · open seat

Democrat
Zach Dembo
76%
Republican
Ralph Alvarado
24%
ForecastLean D
Projected margin
D+5.7
80% range
R+4.8 to D+16.2
Partisan lean
R+13.9
Tipping-point chance
1.49%
Uncertainty multiplier
1.58×

The 80% range comes from 200,000 simulations in which this race’s error is correlated with every other race through the national, state and demographic layers.

How the estimate is built
Polls 38%Fundamentals 62%
Polling average
D+9.5
Fundamentals
R+7.0
Blended
D+5.9
Similar-race shift
+1.9
Poll–fundamentals gap
16.5 pts
PollingDR matchup
Polls in window
3
Distinct pollsters
2
Most recent
October 5, 2026
Democrat
48.5%
Republican
39.0%
Undecided / other
11.5%
Spread between polls
2.2 pts
Fundamentals
Partisan lean
R+13.9
Elasticity
0.97
Incumbency
0.0
Candidate experience
0.0
Fundraising
−2.5
National environment
D+7.1
Expected margin
R+9.0
The polls behind this number3 most recent of 3 in the window
PollsterDatesSampleDRMargin
Change ResearchDEMOctober 5, 2026524 LV4738D+9
Lake Research PartnersDEMOctober 4, 2026400 LV4845D+3
Lake Research PartnersDEMOctober 4, 2026400 LV4640D+6

Each poll is weighted by recency, the square root of its sample size and its pollster rating, then adjusted for that firm’s house effect, its sampled population and any partisan sponsorship — so the average above is not the mean of this column.

How it voted for presidenttwo-party
2024 margin
R+15.3
2020 margin
R+11.2
Shift 2020 → 2024
R+4.1
Votes cast, 2024
355,813

Presidential results reaggregated onto the 2026 district lines. This is where the seat’s partisan lean comes from, and it carries most of the forecast in a race nobody has polled.

Who lives hereCensus ACS
Population
583,676
Median age
47.1
Median household income
$64,600
Bachelor’s degree or higher
35%
White
81%
Black
9%
Hispanic
5%
Asian
3%

Used to find demographically similar districts, so a race with no polling can borrow the polling error of races that look like it.

Campaign fundraisingFEC filings to Invalid Date
CandidatePartyRaisedCash on hand
Garland Andy BarrREP$9.9M$2.2M
Zach DemboDEM$1.5M$491k

Receipts across the cycle, from FEC bulk filings. The model uses the ratio between the two sides rather than either total, and weights it lightly — money follows a competitive race at least as much as it causes one.

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