State Sen. Ralph Alvarado will deliver a speech at the Republican National Convention this week in Cleveland.
Alvarado, a Republican from Winchester and a physician, is the first Hispanic elected to the state legislature.
In a news release from the Republican Party of Kentucky, Alvarado said that the Republican Party is the “party of opportunity for voters of all backgrounds, especially Hispanics.”
“I plan to talk about my story as a public servant striving to make my state and nation a land of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard and persevere,” he said in the statement.
Alvarado was elected in 2014, unseating Senate Minority Floor Leader R.J. Palmer, a Democrat. Over his first two legislative sessions, he has pushed for medical review panels and successfully shepherded a new law that creates an appeals process for medical providers who have Medicaid claims denied by managed care organizations (MCOs).
Alvarado also floated the idea of selling Kentucky’s state health exchange, Kynect, to other states.
In an interview on Friday, Alvarado said it will be “surreal” to address the convention, which he says he has watched since he was a child.
“It’s a little bit of anxiety but I’m also honored and just really excited. I’m hoping to make Kentucky proud,” he said.
Alvarado endorsed Marco Rubio in Kentucky’s Republican Presidential Caucuses but now supports Donald Trump.
