Ralph Alvarado (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia)
Ralph Alvarado won his Republican Primary this summer, and since then, he's worked to scrub his digital footprint of any mention of President Donald Trump and his MAGA affiliation.
NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur spotted the change on Tuesday when Alvarado went from being an ally of Trump's to help "deliver on this bold vision to Make America Great Again." Now, Alvarado is all about "independent leadership." He's no longer listed as an "America First Fighter," and instead, his site highlights how important healthcare is to him.
The district is the Kentucky 6th and Trump won it in 2024 by 15 percent. In a normal election year, Alvarado's only difficult race would be his GOP primary. Now he's in a position where he must pivot from being a far-right Republican to a middle-of-the-road Republican who can win over Independent voters.
On June 9, the Internet Wayback Machine scanned his old website, showing Alvarado featuring photos of himself with Trump and talking about being a "conservative fighter." Back in June, Alvarado was "one of President Trump’s earliest supporters ... stepping up to fight alongside him in Washington to fire up the economy, secure our border, and stop the woke agenda."
That has changed. Now, Alvarado is "stepping up to bring independent leadership to Washington, lower the cost of living, strengthen Kentucky’s economy and deliver practical solutions that put Kentucky families first."
Just 77 days ago, Alvarado was "a national leader in the America First movement and vocal supporter of President Trump from the very beginning. In 2016, he was honored to speak at the Republican National Convention as the only Latino in support of President Trump. Ralph knows that the America First agenda works, and he is ready to help finish the job in Washington."
Now, Alvarado is talking about his "plan" on affordability, an issue that Trump refers to as a "Democrat hoax."
"Ralph also has a plan to make everyday life more affordable by bringing down the rising cost of groceries, gas and healthcare, growing good-paying Kentucky jobs and eliminating wasteful government spending that drives up inflation," the website claims.
He's evolved from a "battle-tested conservative" to someone "ready to bring practical, independent leadership to Congress."
In June, Alvarado listed "issues" on his website, including "Support Trump's America First Agenda, Keep the Border Secured, Make America Healthy Again, Grow Kentucky Jobs and Fight the Woke Agenda." Those icons and topics aren't clickable and they don't lead to any details about specifics.
Issues gave way to "Dr. Ralph's Plan" after his GOP primary. It lists "lower prices and inflation, clearer health insurance choices, more affordable healthcare and grow Kentucky jobs."