Kentucky Senate President blames ads for costing Alvarado congressional race

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Kentucky’s Senate President, Robert Stivers (R-25) was as candid as can be on Wednesday while sizing up the Election Day results both here in Kentucky and across America.

“Just run your whole list,” Stivers said when a reporter asked whether it was the war in Iran, or gas prices, or grocery prices that contributed to the blue wave voters turned in on Tuesday.

The wave sent a ripple across Kentucky, where Democrat Zach Dembo beat Republican Ralph Alvarado in the Commonwealth’s 6th congressional district. Dembo will replace Andy Barr, who won the U.S Senate seat being vacated by Mitch McConnell in January.

“You know, what was it? It’s a combination of multiple things, and it depends on what state you were in as to how it played out,” Stivers said of the losses. “Energy is a huge issue because you don’t put that potato from the Iowa farm on a Lexington table without diesel fuel at every aspect of the process; when you plant, when you harvest, when you fertilize, when you transport to the processing plant, and from the processing plant to the grocery store,” he continued.

Stivers said swing voters broke with Democrats and said the opposition did a good job of making everyone feel these national and global issues we’re dealing with on a more personal level. Then, he went rogue and threw a former colleague on the tracks, placing much of the blame for Alvarado’s loss on former Governor Matt Bevin. Alvarado was Bevin’s running mate when the pair lost to Andy Beshear and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman in 2019. Since losing that election, Bevin has been in and out of court over child support matters, even spending some time in jail because of the issue.

“They don’t run those commercials because they think it’s going to help the other side. It did not help Ralph. I’d say it hurt him. And probably cost him several points,” Stivers said before adding that this person (Bevin) has hurt the Republican party in Kentucky.

Stivers said he is glad Amendment One passed, which will limit a Governor’s pardon powers. Being too loose with those is one of the many issues several Republicans had with Bevin when he left office. Stivers said the anti-Bevin commercials likely helped to get that Amendment passed, but hurt Dr. Alvarado.