A Kentucky Democrat, who is running against the influence of wealthy political donors, is now under pressure to renounce a hefty $500,000 donation made by billionaire Reid Hoffman to a super PAC backing his congressional campaign. His Republican challenger is criticizing this financial support, labeling it as “dirty Epstein class money.”
Hoffman made this substantial contribution to Kentuckians Not Corruption, an independent super PAC supporting Democratic congressional candidate Zach Dembo in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District, as shown in Federal Election Commission records dating to September 24, 2026. This donation coincided with a significant boost in the group’s spending on advertisements supporting Dembo while opposing former state Senator Ralph Alvarado, Dembo’s Republican opponent. Reports from the Federal Communications Commission indicate that the super PAC’s advertising expenditure on Lexington’s WLEX-TV surged from $14,650 just before Hoffman’s contribution to $109,990 for the week of October 6.
Alvarado expressed, “This money is truly dirty Epstein class money fueling Zach Dembo’s campaign. It’s really offensive.”
He continued, “If he has any integrity, he should disavow it, but he won’t. I doubt I’ll even ask. They could at least apologize.”
Attempts by Fox News Digital to reach out to Dembo’s team for comments about the donation were unsuccessful.
This criticism emerges as Dembo has made it clear that fighting political corruption and restricting the influence of wealthy donors are vital themes of his campaign. His website emphasizes that “big business and the ultra-wealthy shouldn’t be able to buy influence in Washington” and calls for eliminating dark money in politics.
Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran, is competing against Alvarado to succeed Republican Rep. Andy Barr, who is vying for a U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Mitch McConnell. The central Kentucky district, which includes Lexington, has been represented by Barr since 2013 but is now seeing heightened attention from national political entities as Democrats aim to flip this Republican-held seat in the upcoming November elections.
Interestingly, while Hoffman’s $500,000 went to an independent super PAC rather than directly to Dembo’s campaign committee, it’s important to note that federal records do not show that Dembo solicited or directed this contribution.
The advertising strategy of Kentuckians Not Corruption intensified in the time leading up to and following Hoffman’s donation. According to federal records, their ad bookings increased from $14,650 during the week of September 15–21, before Hoffman’s donation, to $26,450 for the period of September 22–28, which is when Hoffman made his contribution, and then further to $35,820 for the ensuing week.
By the following week, the group’s advertising orders skyrocketed to $109,990 for October 6–12, marking a rise of more than seven times from mid-September levels. This included spots during major programming such as NBC Nightly News and local evening broadcasts.
Moreover, it’s been reported that by mid-October, Kentuckians Not Corruption had spent around $1.6 million on advertising for this race, which consisted of promotional materials for Dembo and criticisms of Alvarado’s track record.
Alvarado further argued that Hoffman is more than just a casual acquaintance of Jeffrey Epstein, claiming he was one of Epstein’s closest friends. Alvarado provided details about Hoffman’s past interactions with Epstein, even pointing out that Hoffman had once sent the notorious financier a shipment of ice cream with a note that suggested it was either for himself or for “the girls.”
He accused Dembo of hypocrisy, pointing out the contradiction in Dembo’s stance against wealthy political donors while apparently benefiting from the same kind of support he has publicly denounced.
Alvarado concluded, “The hypocrisy is glaring from Dembo, claiming he won’t accept such funds, yet here he is.”
