A Kentucky Democrat campaigning against the influence of wealthy political donors is facing calls to disavow a $500,000 contribution from billionaire Reid Hoffman to a super PAC supporting his congressional bid, with his Republican opponent blasting the financial support as “dirty Epstein class money.”
Hoffman contributed $500,000 to Kentuckians Not Corruption, an independent super PAC supporting Democratic congressional nominee Zach Dembo in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District, on Sept. 24, 2026, according to Federal Election Commission records. The contribution came as the group was spending heavily on television advertisements supporting Dembo and opposing his Republican opponent, former Kentucky state Sen. Ralph Alvarado. Advertising records filed with the Federal Communications Commission show the super PAC’s weekly television advertising orders on Lexington’s WLEX- TV increased more than sevenfold between mid-September and early October, climbing from $14,650 before Hoffman’s contribution to $109, 990 for the week of Oct. 6.
“This is really, it’s dirty Epstein class money fueling Zach Dembo’s campaign,” Alvarado told Fox News Digital. “It’s offensive.”
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“If he has any integrity, he should, but he won’t disavow it,” Alvarado added. “Dembo will not disavow it. I don’t even think I’ll bother to ask. Again, the least they could do is apologize.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Dembo’s team repeatedly about the contribution but did not receive a response.
The criticism comes as Dembo has made combating political corruption and the influence of wealthy donors a central part of his congressional campaign, arguing on his website that “big business and the ultra-wealthy shouldn’t be able to buy influence in Washington” and that we need to “get rid of dark money in politics.”
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The Democratic candidate for Kentucky’s 6th District has also criticized tax breaks for “billionaires and coastal elites” and pledged to fight for working families rather than wealthy political interests.
Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran, is facing former Kentucky state Sen. Ralph Alvarado in the race to replace Republican Rep. Andy Barr, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell.
The central Kentucky district, which includes Lexington, has been represented by Barr since 2013 but has drawn increased attention from national political groups as Democrats seek to flip the Republican-held seat in November.
Hoffman’s $500,000 contribution went to an independent super PAC, not Dembo’s campaign committee, and federal records do not establish that Dembo solicited or directed the donation.
Federal advertising records show Kentuckians Not Corruption’s television operation expanded in the weeks surrounding Hoffman’s donation.
Kentuckians Not Corruption booked $14,650 in television advertising on Lexington’s WLEX-TV for Sept. 15–21, before Hoffman contributed. Its weekly orders climbed to $26,450 for Sept. 22–28, the period during which Hoffman made his $500,000 contribution, and rose again to $35,820 for Sept. 29–Oct. 5.
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The following week, the group’s advertising orders surged to $109,990 for Oct. 6–12, more than seven times its mid-September level. The purchases included spots during “NBC Nightly News,” “Today” and local evening newscasts, according to the FCC records.
The group’s advertising campaign extended well beyond WLEX. Kentucky Public Radio reported that federal filings show Kentuckians Not Corruption had spent approximately $1.6 million on advertising in the race by mid-October, including commercials promoting Dembo and attacking Alvarado’s record.
“Reid Hoffman is not just an associate or a casual acquaintance of Jeffrey Epstein,” Alvarado said. “He was one of his best friends. I mean, Hoffman was a guest on Epstein’s private island. He was in his Manhattan town house. There’s all kinds of images of those two together.”
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“Hoffman once sent Epstein a shipment of ice cream on Christmas Eve with a note that said that the treat was either for yourself or for the girls,” Alvarado continued, citing documents released by the Justice Department.
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Alvarado also accused Dembo of hypocrisy over his criticism of wealthy political donors and opposition to dark money, arguing that the Democrat was benefiting from the very kind of outside financial support he has publicly criticized.
“The hypocrisy is so thick from Dembo in which he claims he won’t take it, but yet here he is,” Alvarado said.