[music] >> Socialism may be on the rise in some places in the United States, but not here in Kentucky.

>> Kentucky picks its replacement for Senator Mitch McConnell.

[MUSIC] >> Central Kentucky.

Tonight is your night.

>> Democrat Zach Dembo flips Kentucky's sixth congressional District from red to blue.

[MUSIC] Some familiar faces won't be back in Frankfort come January.

>> Fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, chicken, pork, beef, deli meat, cheese, yogurt.

A lot of things that you would normally buy at a grocery.

>> And when people can't go to the store, this store goes to them.

[MUSIC] >> Production of Kentucky edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

[MUSIC] >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky edition for Wednesday, November 4th.

I'm Kelsey Starks here in our KET Studios in Louisville.

Thanks for joining us this evening.

You'll see some new faces in Washington and Frankfort in January after an eventful midterm election in Kentucky and across the nation.

Let's begin by recapping some of the election highlights.

Republican Andy Barr defeated Democrat Charles Booker and will become Kentucky's next U.S.

senator, replacing the retiring Mitch McConnell.

In Central Kentucky's sixth district, Democrat Zach Dembo will take Barr's place in the U.S.

House as he flipped the district from red to blue.

While some Republicans lost seats in the Kentucky General Assembly, Republicans still control both chambers by wide margins.

Kentucky has a new U.S.

senator elect.

Republican Andy Barr will take over for Senator Mitch McConnell after winning 55% of the vote to defeat Democrat Charles Booker.

As our Mackenzie Spink reports, Senator elect Barr says his election represents the victory of American values over socialism.

>> Socialism may be on the rise in some places in the United States, but not here in Kentucky.

>> Congressman Andy Barr will be the next senator of Kentucky.

Along with fellow Republican Senator Rand Paul.

Barr was endorsed by President Donald Trump and campaigned on supporting Kentucky businesses and his ability to hit the ground running in Washington.

Given his 14 years of experience in the House of Representatives.

>> This election result is a victory for the people of Kentucky, a victory for freedom over big government, a victory for prosperity over dependency, a victory for safety over lawlessness, and a victory of common sense over socialism.

>> Barr defeated Charles Booker, a former state legislator who was on his third attempt to be elected as Kentucky senator.

Booker campaigned on access to health care and rising costs in the final days of his campaign.

He was endorsed by former President Barack Obama.

>> I stepped up not because of party, but because I know that all of us are hurting and there is a status quo that is robbing us, that is making life harder for us, and that things will not change unless we do it.

I know that we can.

And although this election did not go the way that I wished it would, we are still here with the opportunity to continue bending the arc that Doctor King spoke of.

So my ask of you is to keep going, keep standing up.

Keep speaking up, keep showing love.

Keep lifting up the power of community.

Keep letting everyone know.

[APPLAUSE] [MUSIC] That if we wake up, we're fighting.

And no matter what I do or what title I hold, you better believe I'm going to be causing some good trouble for y'all.

>> FERPA ended his victory speech by laying out his plans for Kentucky as its new senator.

>> My vision is optimistic.

It's a future defined by prosperity, opportunity and growth.

It's time for paychecks to go up and prices to come down.

It's time for more jobs, more opportunity, and more wealth for everyone, everywhere.

It's time for more freedom, limited government, less crime, fewer drugs, more coal, more energy, more bourbon, faster horses.

Unwavering support for the most powerful military in the world.

>> For Kentucky Edition, I'm McKenzie Spink.

[APPLAUSE] >> Last night, Kentucky's sixth congressional District flipped from red to blue.

Democrat.

Zach Dembo, a veteran and former federal prosecutor, defeated Republican Ralph Alvarado, a physician and former Kentucky state legislator.

Here's a look back at the candidates on election night from Kentucky Edition's Clayton Dalton.

>> It's going to be nice having two Democratic members of Congress from Kentucky.

>> In a packed ballroom in downtown Lexington, Governor Andy Beshear introduced Democrat Zach Dembo to a crowd of supporters as the new congressman elect from Kentucky's sixth district.

Said his victory was a message to Washington.

>> Tonight, we've shifted power away from the political establishment in Washington, away from the corrupt career politicians that have plagued our government and away from those who stand to profit, while families like yours and mine suffer from rising costs.

Today, we have shifted power towards where it belongs, which is the great people of Central, Kentucky.

>> In Winchester, Republican Doctor Ralph Alvarado addressed his supporters and acknowledged the race had not turned out like he'd hoped.

But he said the night was still an example of the power of democracy.

>> In America, we have a remarkable tradition.

We have the freedom to disagree, the freedom to debate and the freedom to choose our leaders.

Sometimes our candidate wins, and sometimes our candidate loses.

But the greatness of this country is that when the votes are counted, we respect the decision and we move forward.

And that is what makes our democracy very strong.

To the candidate who prevailed, I would simply say this the responsibility you now carry is greater than the victory you're going to celebrate tonight.

The people who supported you deserve your best, and so do the people who did not.

And I hope you'll remember that every district is made up of people with hopes, concerns, and dreams of their families.

They deserve to be heard.

>> Back in Lexington, Demba repeated many of his campaign promises, telling supporters what he'll be focused on in Congress.

>> In Congress, I will vote to end this disastrous war in Iran and bring down the cost of gas, diesel and fertilizer.

I will vote to end the reckless tariffs that have hurt our local businesses, including our bourbon industry.

[APPLAUSE] And most importantly, I will vote to reverse the harmful Medicaid cuts that have endangered 200,000 Kentuckians and put our rural hospitals needlessly at risk.

[APPLAUSE] >> Kentucky sixth Congressional District goes blue for the first time in over a decade.

And although Republicans were not able to hold on to the seat, both Alvarado and Dembo shared positive outlooks for the future.

>> I may be disappointed tonight, but I'm not discouraged.

I remain optimistic about Kentucky.

I remain optimistic about America, and I remain convinced that our finest days are still ahead of us because this country has never depended on one person, on one election or on one political party to determine its future.

It depends on the character, the courage, and the commitment of its people.

>> This election was never about flipping a seat or changing the district's color on a map.

It was about delivering for working people here in Central Kentucky.

I am honored to have gotten to the starting line with all of you.

And because of you.

Now the hard work begins.

Let's go out there united and build a better Central Kentucky and a better America.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

>> For Kentucky Edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Democrats also flipped a number of seats in the Kentucky General Assembly.

That includes two Senate seats.

Republican state Senator Lindsey Tichenor of Smithfield lost her reelection bid to newcomer Christian Fuhrman from Prospect.

Fuhrman is a doctor and received several endorsements, including from Governor Andy Beshear.

The fairness campaign and the Kentucky AfL-CIO in Senate District 36, Democrat Sarah Cole McIntosh defeated Louisville Republican State Senator Julie Raque Adams.

Adams has served in the legislature since 2011 and chairs the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee.

In the House, Democrats picked up at least six seats.

That includes House district 33, where Republican Majority Whip Jason Nemes of Middletown lost by about 500 votes to Democrat Jennifer Hardin, another Jefferson County Republican unseated last night was Representative Jared Bowman in House district 28.

He lost by eight points to Democrat Almaria Baker Democrats in the Derby.

City also unseated Republican Chris Lewis.

Cassie Pelosi will be the new state representative for district 29.

Two more Republicans in Louisville were also defeated.

Susan Witten in district 31 and Ken Fleming in district 48, which also includes part of Oldham County.

Republicans did pick up one seat in the House.

Tanner Hesterberg cruised past former Democratic state Senator Johnny Ray Turner in District 95.

That seat is currently held by Ashley Tackett Lafferty, who did not seek reelection.

There are still two Senate races that are too close to call.

Those are district 36, where Republican incumbent John Hodgson has a 100 vote lead over Democrat William Zorn right now and district 39 in parts of Fayette and Jessamine counties where Democrat Ryan Stanford is up by a little more than 200 votes over Republican incumbent Matt Lockett.

Considering some of those upsets, we talked with leaders on both sides of the aisle in Frankfort today.

What do they think led to some of the flipped seats, and how might it influence new legislation?

Our Emily Prince has that story from the Capitol Annex.

>> Well, Democrats have taken majority over the U.S.

Senate and Congress.

Republicans still maintain a supermajority here at the state legislature in Frankfort, despite losing a handful of contested races last night, Kentucky's Senate President, Robert Stivers, believes for those Republican incumbents who lost, it wasn't because of their track record, but because of politics outside of Kentucky.

>> Last night in Kentucky, whoever was running at whatever level you were running, you were being judged on national and international dynamics, not things that were here.

>> State Representative Lindsey Burke, who serves as the House Minority Caucus chair, says affordability was likely the biggest issue for voters in Kentucky and beyond.

But she also says the newly elected Democrats earned their spot in Frankfort.

>> Frankly, the infighting of Republicans caused them to lose some races, too.

So the national wave helped us.

And then we had really strong candidates in some of these races, too.

So it's a great combination.

>> Stivers was asked specifically about the defeats of Senator Julie Adams and Representative Jason Nemes, both have leadership roles, either in the caucus or on committees, Stivers said their losses make him wonder what people want in an elected official.

>> Louisville has probably, over the last two budget cycles, seen its best years for appropriations and earmarks hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars.

It's going to be the Senate controlled by the Republicans and the House, controlled by the Republicans, that are going to make the budgetary decisions.

And the two biggest advocates for Louisville just lost.

>> House Democrats now have at least 26 seats to Republicans, 74.

While it's still an uphill battle to get Democratic policies across the finish line, Burke says the uptick puts them in a better position.

>> So there will be more opportunities for negotiation, working together and trying to get things done for the people of Kentucky.

This is really big.

>> Stivers pointed out that in the Senate, Republicans still maintain 30 of the 38 total seats.

>> Republicans lost nationally by historic numbers.

What it looks like we maintained 80% of our Chamber.

>> Burke was a strong supporter of Zach Dembo, who defeated Ralph Alvarado and flipped Kentucky's sixth congressional seat.

Blue.

>> We're tired of the same old swampy politics and same old swampy politicians.

So Zach and his anti-corruption platform are a breath of fresh air.

And just what Kentucky voters needed to believe that finally, the government was going to start serving us.

>> Stivers said.

Former Governor Matt Bevin played a role in Alvarado's loss.

Alvarado was Bevin's running mate in 2019.

>> He hurt Ralph Alvarado.

They didn't play those commercials because it was going to help him.

>> So how does a Democratic majority in Washington affect legislation here in Frankfort?

Stivers said health care policies could be the most impacted depending on changes from the federal government.

Burke said she hopes to see reversals of cuts to Medicaid and other social services in Frankfort for Kentucky edition.

I'm Emily Prince.

>> Kentucky voters approved a state constitutional amendment limiting a governor's pardoning power.

With the passage of amendment one, a governor can't issue pardons.

60 days before a gubernatorial election.

The amendment passed with 71% of the vote and one in every county.

The amendment is widely viewed as a rebuke of Governor Matt Bevin, who issued some controversial pardons as he left office in 2019.

We have more from Senate.

Senate President Robert Stivers, who talked about the former governor's pardon.

Stivers also praised Senator Chris McDaniel for sponsoring that amendment.

>> Here we are in.

>> Session.

>> It got overwhelming support by the population, even by the state populous and the electorate last night.

So we've not been real successful with those.

But Chris has advocated for this.

And I think people saw what happened with Governor Bevin.

That individual created part of the problems for our party.

And people saw that.

And they don't want any governor, be it this one or future governors, to have that opportunity.

>> Kentucky's two largest cities will remain in the same hands.

Louisville voters reelected Mayor Craig Greenburg to a second term.

He defeated Shameka Parrish-Wright, 57 to 5042%.

And in Lexington, Mayor Linda Gordon won a third term, beating Raquel Carter.

If she serves the full four year term, she will become Lexington's longest serving mayor.

So what does yesterday's election mean for the Republican and Democratic parties in Kentucky, and what are some of the key takeaways?

For more on that, we sat down today with University of Kentucky political scientist Professor Steven Voss.

>> The effect of the blue tsunami, as they're calling it, hit Kentucky about the same way.

It hit a lot of places around the country because Kentucky was already pretty Republican, pretty red.

We didn't quite see as many indicators of that wave passing over the state.

We were a little more sheltered, but across Kentucky, the shift toward the Democrats was powerful and similar to what we were seeing in other states.

What happened in the last election was not about candidates, not about strategies in any one state or the state party.

It was about a national mood, and national partizan shift away from the Republicans, who's become more important to the Democrats are upper middle class professionals, people who live in places that a generation or two ago would have had your Chamber of Commerce, Republicans, your business Republicans, their children, or the people who moved into their neighborhoods.

They're not Republicans anymore.

Upper middle class professionals these days are much more Democratic.

And that suburban and exurban, wealthy, especially white vote, has become notably more democratic than it used to be.

Then there's the people who didn't vote, and that is the the rural and small town voters who had become so overwhelmingly Republican in the Trump era.

Because they were mobilized by Donald Trump.

And what a lot of those folks did is just stay home.

They've become disenchanted.

They're disillusioned with Trump.

They're not Democrats, but they voted by sitting on their hands.

The tough thing for the winner in any election is thinking they have a mandate, a policy mandate, an ideological mandate.

Voters don't do mandates.

Anytime a party sweeps into power and they start acting like the voters have given them permission or demanded that they enact sweeping policy changes, likely the voters will start to get buyer's remorse and yank back that support as soon as they can from that party.

If instead, the Democrats understand that their job should be not to make the mistake the Republicans did when they got power to govern in a more incremental, more patient way, a way that looks less vindictive, really, in a way that Andy Beshear is suggesting the Democrats need a presidential candidate to do in the next election, then that's how you hold on to a majority over a long period of time.

We've had this rapid pendulum swing back and forth, Republican president, Democratic president, Republican president, and also the House of Representatives moving back and forth, in part because both parties overplay their hands.

In 1992, the saying, when Bill Clinton won one was it's the economy, stupid.

But really, most elections, it's the economy.

We can look at the list of things voters said were most important, but they all have economics wrapped up in them.

Prices, gas prices, the war in Iran, which helped hike gas prices, health care, which is a concern with affordability.

This was an economics election rather than a culture war election for change.

And the fact it was an economics election is part of what helped the Democrats do well in a state like Kentucky, which only swung rightward after the culture war erupted, Kentucky's Republicans need to decide whether they're going to treat it as a humbling experience, because they lost some people and they lost some turf, or instead, whether they're going to notice, well, we still have a large majority in each chamber.

This is still basically our state.

We kept most of our congressional seats that we had.

And so in a way, just as the Democrats have to decide whether they want to be aggressive and go very partizan and overplay their hand, the Republicans need to decide whether they shouldn't walk back some of the more extreme things that they've done when they were so dominant, whether the Republicans want to let some of their members who are in more sensitive districts have opportunities to vote differently from the party, maybe to vote on issues that the Republican leadership doesn't support.

But some of their members need to show that they support.

One thing to keep in mind about the Kentucky General Assembly is that the leadership has a lot of power, a lot of agenda control, the ability to decide what votes get taken or not.

It's much harder in Kentucky for the Democrats to join with some moderate Republicans and pass a bill than it is in a lot of states.

If the Republican leadership made it a little easier for part of their part of their caucus to to break ranks, to vote in a way consistent with their district rather than with the overall party.

That could help insulate those Republicans from a wave like the one we just experienced.

Having people upset with the direction of the country, especially the economy, was bad for Republicans.

But now the Democrats have to keep that territory in elections.

That won't be this sweet.

And so the question is, how do they hold on to territory that's not a foregone conclusion.

That's not always theirs.

Usually that's by keeping your head down, focusing on fixing problems, engaging in constituency service, having a good staff.

When people call for help, trying to bring home some of that bacon to your own district.

That's how Democrats held on to the House of Representatives.

For much of my life before.

And it's the way that they could hold on to a lot of territory for a longer period of time today, to.

>> Louisville is pausing to remember the victims of the deadly UPS plane crash that happened one year ago today.

UPS flight 2976 crashed during takeoff at the Louisville International Airport around 515 in the afternoon.

The three person crew, along with 12 people on the ground, were killed.

The cargo plane en route to Hawaii crashed in an industrial site in Louisville.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation revealed fatigue related cracks caused one of the engines and a pylon to separate from the wing of the plane.

The NTSB has not released its final report on the crash.

Today, the city of Louisville and UPS are holding memorial events for that one year anniversary and will bring you more on that tomorrow here on Kentucky edition.

It is a grocery store on wheels.

The mobile market in Lexington delivers fresh food and home items to residents across Lexington.

For many, it's been a needed resource in neighborhoods where fresh food is not easily accessible.

>> In 2026, the mobile market has generated more than $117,000 in reported sales through early October.

That's a great reflection of how much this resource is being used and how important it is to our community.

>> 26 different locations here in Fayette County were visited at least once so far this calendar year.

These locations range from apartment buildings, senior living centers, community centers, churches, the local health department.

Excuse me, and many more.

>> This initiative grew out of a recommendation from the 2020 Racial Justice and Equality Report to the Mayor and Council, which identified the need to improve access to fresh, healthy and affordable food in neighborhoods across Lexington.

Today, as we celebrate three years of the mobile market, we have so much to be proud of.

Over the past three years, we have seen this.

This initiative, grow into a valuable community resource.

And the numbers really speak to that progress as as we've heard, we have also seen an increase in the number of transactions made using Snap benefits, which tell us that this resource is reaching residents who can really benefit from it.

>> The ability to use utilize EBT benefits on the mobile market is crucial for roughly about a third of the folks that shop on the mobile market.

For many, Snap benefits are a lifeline to be able to afford groceries and provide for their families.

The mobile market has become a precedent on how a nonprofit organization fighting food insecurity, a local government and a large, multi-level organization can come together to improve food access together.

>> The mobile market offers a really healthy selection of fresh fruits and vegetables milk, chicken, pork, beef, deli meat, cheese, yogurt, a lot of things that you would normally buy at a grocery and other household essentials such as toilet tissue detergent, cleaning products, and it gives our residents the opportunity to shop for everyday necessities close to home.

>> The Kroger staff that that run the mobile market, they will tailor the products that are on the truck to the individual neighborhoods.

So every day we try and hit three different sites.

And because they've been doing this now for a few years, most of those sites are regular stops.

They know what those shoppers are looking for.

>> According to city officials, in 2025, the mobile market made 736 stops and collected more than $163,000 in sales.

[MUSIC] Now to some exciting news for us here at KET.

Renee Shaw has been named executive Director and CEO.

Renee retired from KET earlier this year following a distinguished 29 year career.

Most recently, she served as KET Director of Public Affairs, hosting and producing a number of programs, including Kentucky Tonight and KET legislative coverage.

KET is governing board made that announcement today.

Renee succeeds Shea Hopkins, who died last week following a battle with cancer.

Shea funeral is set for Monday.

We do hope you'll see us again tomorrow night at 630 eastern, 530 central for Kentucky edition, where we inform, connect and inspire.

You can subscribe to our email newsletters and watch full episodes at ket.org.

You can always send us a story idea at Public Affairs at ket.org.

And of course, follow along on social media to stay in the loop.

Thanks for joining us.

Have a great night.