Ralph Alvarado
Office15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health
GovernorBill Lee
Term startJanuary 16, 2023
Term endJuly 11, 2025
PredecessorMorgan McDonald (acting)
SuccessorJohn Dunn (acting)
State senate 1Kentucky
District 128th
Term start 1January 1, 2015
Term end 1January 6, 2023
Predecessor 1R. J. Palmer
Successor 1Greg Elkins
Birth dateApril 30, 1970 (age 56)
Birth placeSan Francisco, California, U.S.
PartyRepublican
EducationLoma Linda University (BS, MD)

Ralph A. Alvarado (born April 30, 1970) is an American physician and politician who most recently served as the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health from 2023 until his resignation in 2025.[1] He previously served as a member of the Kentucky Senate, representing Kentucky's 28th Senate district from 2015 to 2023.[2] Upon taking office, he became the first Hispanic person elected to the Kentucky General Assembly.

Alvarado is currently the Republican nominee for Kentucky's 6th congressional district.

Early life and education

Alvarado was born April 30, 1970, in San Francisco, California and raised in Pacifica and San Jose, California. His father is from Costa Rica and his mother is from Argentina.[3]

He graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose in 1988.[4][5] In 1990, Alvarado graduated from Loma Linda University in California with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and completed an MD from the same university in 1994.[6] He completed his residency at the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler hospital.[7]

Political career

Kentucky Senate

In 2014, Alvarado was elected to the Kentucky State Senate representing Kentucky's 28th Senate district. In 2016, he spoke at the Republican National Convention.[8][9] In 2017, he sponsored a medical malpractice tort reform bill that was later struck down by the Kentucky Supreme Court for obstructing access to the courts.[10]

2019 gubernatorial election

Alvarado was chosen by Governor Matt Bevin to be his running mate in the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election.[11] The Bevin-Alvarado ticket lost the general election on November 5, 2019, to the Democratic ticket of Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman.

Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health

On November 22, 2022, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that he had appointed Alvarado commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health.[12] Alvarado would resign from the Kentucky Senate on January 6, 2023, and become the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health on January 16, 2023.[13] He served in this role until his resignation on July 11, 2025.[14]

2026 congressional campaign

On July 8, 2025, Alvarado revealed he was considering a run for Kentucky's 6th congressional district seat being vacated by incumbent Andy Barr, due to the latter's candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by the retiring Mitch McConnell. After resigning from his commissioner role on July 11, Alvarado announced his official entry into the 6th district Republican primary on July 17, 2025.[14][15] He won the Republican nomination on May 19, 2026.

Alvarado has campaigned as a "MAHA doctor," and emphasized his support of President Donald Trump.[16] On May 1, 2026, he was endorsed by Trump as well as Speaker Mike Johnson.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Gov. Lee Announces Key Leadership Transition at TN Department of Health". TN.gov. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Ralph Alvarado". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. ^ Adam Beam (April 29, 2014). "After losses, Kentucky Sen. Alvarado rises quickly in GOP". The Washington Times. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  4. ^ "Ralph Alvarado, M.D., Citizen Legislator". Kentucky Doc. July 30, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  5. ^ "Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R-KY)". National Patient Advocate Foundation. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  6. ^ Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R-KY 28th District). Autism Action Network. Accessed 2016-07-20.
  7. ^ "Senator Ralph Alvarado (R)". Kentucky Legislature. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  8. ^ Troyan, Mary (20 July 2016). "Alvarado says GOP, Hispanics share same values". courier-journal.com. The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  9. ^ "Ralph Alvarado addresses Hispanic voters in Spanish at GOP convention". The Washington Post. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Who's Bevin's new running mate? 5 things to know about Ralph Alvarado". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  11. ^ "Bevin dumps Hampton, announces Ralph Alvarado as his lieutenant governor running mate". Lexington Herald Leader. January 25, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Gov. Lee Names Dr. Ralph Alvarado Commissioner for TN Department of Health". Governor of Tennessee. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Alvarado sworn in as health commissioner in Tennessee.". www.winchestersun.com. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Gov. Lee Announces Key Leadership Transition at TN Department of Health". TN.gov. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  15. ^ Horsley, McKenna (2025-07-17). "2 new candidates — a physician politician and former federal prosecutor — enter US House race • Kentucky Lantern". Kentucky Lantern. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  16. ^ Ward, Karla (May 1, 2026). "Trump endorses Ralph Alvarado in KY’s 6th District congressional race". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved May 2, 2026.