Richmond state rep says she’ll be ‘true Trump MAGA voice’ in U.S. Congress race
A state representative from Richmond is seeking the U.S. House of Representatives seat being left by Rep. Andy Barr.
Deanna Gordon, a four-term Republican representative, announced Wednesday morning that she would enter the fray in the race to replace Barr for the 6th Congressional District.
In a statement sent to the Herald-Leader, Gordon said she’ll be a “true Trump MAGA voice” in Washington.
“The American people delivered President Trump a clear mandate last fall: America needs a new direction focused on American job growth and economic opportunity, not one fixated on DEI initiatives, transgender ideology and failed progressive policies,” Gordon wrote.
Gordon joins a crowding field.
Fellow state Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, has been in the race for months and Ralph Alvarado, the former state senator who currently leads the Department of Health for the state of Tennessee, has indicated he’ll likely run as well.
Two prominent Democrats have declared for the 6th Congressional District. Cherlynn Stevenson, a former member of Democratic House leadership, and David Kloiber, a former Lexington city councilman and mayoral candidate, are both vying for the nomination.
Gordon’s entry into Kentucky politics started with a bang.
She defeated C. Wesley Morgan, a controversial politician who ruffled feathers within the party ranks, in a GOP primary contest in 2018 and survived a tight challenge — winning by just 24 votes — in the general election against Morgan Eaves, who is now the executive director of the Kentucky Democratic Party.
Since gaining office, Gordon has kept a relatively low profile in the General Assembly, serving on various committees and paying close attention to local issues like the disarmament process at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County.
An audiologist by trade, the release from Gordon’s campaign states that she “helped build the largest audiology clinic in Kentucky.” That’s a reference to Bluegrass Hearing, which she sold a few years ago. She has since started a Richmond-based clinic called “Hear at Your Service.”
Gordon focused her early messaging on her small business background, saying she would serve the “working class, not the Wall Street elite.” She also touched on the popular conservative issues of cracking down on illegal immigration and limiting government spending.
“We need a Congress that never backs down from trimming government, ending failed progressive policies pushed by Ivy League institutions, and securing the border by having the backbone to not only build a wall, but deport those here illegally, no questions asked,” Gordon wrote.
“Central Kentucky isn’t looking for a puppet or the next in line – they want someone who understands real-world problems and fixes them, not kicks the can down the road while being more concerned about the consequences of the next election.”
The 6th Congressional District is anchored by Fayette County, which makes up about 44% of the population. The county’s centrality is a part of the reason why, with Barr gone, some Democrats think they could flip the district blue for the first time since 2012. Fayette County has reliably voted Democrat in most recent elections.
The other counties in the 6th Congressional District, in order of population, are Madison, Scott, Jessamine, Montgomery, Woodford, Mercer, Bourbon, Garrard, Fleming, Estill, Powell and Nicholas. Aside from Fayette, the other counties in the district generally lean Republican.
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
