Ralph Alvarado

Alvarado was born in San Jose, California. He earned a bachelor of science degree and a medical degree from Loma Linda University and completed his medical residency at the University of Kentucky.[1] He worked as a physician with Kentucky One Medical Group and, according to his campaign website, has cared for patients across Central Kentucky for nearly three decades.[1][2][4] He has served on the board of trustees of the Kentucky Medical Association, as a fellow and government council member of the American College of Physicians, and as a member of the Clark County Chamber of Commerce.[1]

Alvarado was elected to the Kentucky State Senate, District 28, in 2014 and took office on January 1, 2015; his campaign website describes him as the first Hispanic member of the Kentucky General Assembly. He chaired the Health and Welfare Committee in the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 sessions after serving as its vice chair earlier.[1][2] He was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention and a member of the RNC Rules Committee.[1] In 2019 he ran for lieutenant governor on a joint ticket with Gov. Matt Bevin; the ticket lost the general election, in which Democrat Jacqueline Coleman won the lieutenant governor race.[1][4]

Alvarado resigned from the state Senate on January 6, 2023, to become commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health. He launched his congressional campaign in July 2025.[1][4] According to his campaign website, he and his wife, Dawn, have been married for 32 years and raised two children in Clark County.[2] During the campaign, he focused primarily on healthcare, saying he wanted to work across party lines to lower costs.[1][2] He received 43.3% of the vote to Zach Dembo's 52.7%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[3]