In recent months, Donald Trump has repeatedly singled out Ralph Alvarado, a Republican congressional candidate in Kentucky, with effusive praise. To hear the president tell it, Alvarado is an “America First Patriot” and a “true friend to MAGA,” who received Trump’s “complete and total endorsement.”
There was ample evidence to suggest the feelings were mutual. Alvarado, a former state senator and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, advertised himself on his campaign website as an “America First Fighter,” adding, “President Trump needs more allies in Congress to deliver on his bold vision to Make America Great Again. With your help, I will be that fighter.”
Alvarado’s website also prominently featured a photograph of him alongside Trump, both men smiling and giving the camera a thumbs-up.
At least, that’s what the website used to look like. NBC News reported:
Ralph Alvarado is running with Donald Trump’s endorsement in a House district in Kentucky that the president carried by double digits in 2024. But since winning the Republican primary in May, he has removed a series of pro-Trump messages and a photo of them standing together from his campaign website, according to an NBC News review.
The campaign website that used to tout Alvarado as an “America First Fighter” now assures local voters that he’ll offer “independent leadership.” The text about being a pro-Trump “fighter” has been replaced with a vow to “work with both parties to fight for affordable healthcare.”
The picture of Trump and Alvarado together has been removed from the site altogether.
It’s worth emphasizing again that Alvarado is running in a district that Trump won by 16 points, in a state that Trump won by 31 points. At face value, it’s tempting to think the congressional candidate would be going out of his way to brag about his ties to, and support from, the incumbent GOP president.
But therein lies the point: Alvarado was eager to present himself as a Trump acolyte, right up until the president’s support started to reach embarrassing depths.
The only reason a candidate and his campaign team would make such a change is because they believe it’s in their electoral interests — and if a Republican in red-state district that Trump won by 16 points is suddenly putting the president at arm’s length, it’s a safe bet that, with 10 weeks remaining before the midterms, other GOP incumbents and candidates are poised to start doing the same thing.
NBC News’ report added, “Alvarado will face Democrat Zach Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and Navy JAG officer, in the general election. Last week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Dembo to its ‘red to blue’ list, a signal to donors and party activists that it believes the race is winnable and worth investing in as Democrats vie for a House majority.”
This news comes just one day after JD Vance headlined a campaign event in Maine, only to find that incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins decided not to be seen with the vice president during her own challenging re-election bid.
Time will tell which other GOP officials and candidates take similar steps to emphasize their newfound independence, but let’s not forget that the Republican National Committee’s “midterm convention” will kick off in Dallas in just two weeks.
The move comes with significant risks: One of the underlying points of a national convention is nationalizing an election cycle — and given how very unpopular the incumbent Republican president is, one might expect that the party would be going out of its way to localize the midterms.
Despite common sense, the RNC appears eager to lean into the risk, with party chairman Joe Gruters recently telling Fox News that the gathering will be a “Trumpapalooza,” designed to motivate his followers.
It’s likely that Alvarado and Collins will be among the Republicans who’ll have other plans during the gathering. The question is who else will decide not to make the trip to Dallas. Watch this space.
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