KY Politics Insider: Gallrein’s Trump ad, Massie in NYT & Dembo, Alvarado on TV
Kentucky Politics Insider provides an analytical view of Kentucky politics and the conversations that drive decisions. Email me at ahorn@herald-leader.com or ping me on any one of the various social media sites with tips or comments.
Rep. Thomas Massie is no stranger to the spotlight.
As one of just a handful of Republicans who has consistently bucked party and President Donald Trump on major items like the Iran war, overall government spending and the release of the files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Massie has garnered consistent attention in Kentucky and across the country.
But he received a new type of attention in the pages of the New York Times this week. The nation’s largest newspaper toured Massie’s farm and went to a political event in Cynthiana, at the southern edge of Massie’s 4th Congressional District, where both he and Ed Gallrein, Trump’s pick to beat Massie, spoke.
The story focused less on the details of Massie’s race and more on the implications for a Republican Congress that has been in lockstep with the president.
Massie told the outlet he “regarded his race as a test case for whether any shred of independence can survive in today’s GOP.” Massie ally Sen. Rand Paul added that if nobody like Massie was around, “maybe we could just have A.I. run the country.”
“I think if I lose, nobody’s going to stick their head up. The entire Republican Congress will be a rubber stamp. If I win, there’ll be more people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace who are willing to go against the grain when it’s unambiguously the right thing to do,” Massie said, in a reference to three GOP women who supported his effort to release the Epstein files.
Dembo, Alvarado first on TV
Having never held elected office before, Zach Dembo still has relatively low name ID in the 6th Congressional District.
But he just became the first Democrat in the crowded field to fill outgoing Rep. Andy Barr’s Central Kentucky seat to get on television.
In two ads, Dembo introduces himself to voters as both a hard-edged federal prosecutor who made the decision to quit his job when Trump took over and a light-hearted Kentuckian trying to get his name out there.
The first ad is silly. It features a smiling Dembo introducing himself to voters at their doorstep, on the street and with a bullhorn. It ends with him giving a sticker to a little girl.
The second is serious. It focuses on Dembo’s resignation and features him a suit, walking the halls of a courthouse. He pledges to “go after Trump’s corruption, work to lower costs and prosecute the case against ICE.”
Dembo is one of several Democratic contenders for the seat. Former state Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson has the backing of Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and the powerful union AFL-CIO. Former Lexington city councilman David Kloiber and Erin Petrey, a businesswoman and bourbon writer, are also running strong campaigns. The group recently debated on Spectrum News.
As of the end of last year, Dembo paced the field in terms of fundraising, though a good chunk of it came in installments greater than the primary maximum amount, meaning his campaign could only use the amount above that maximum if it wins the primary. All three other candidates have raised well into the six figures, and Kloiber previously funded his unsuccessful 2022 mayoral campaign with a large personal contribution.
Former state Sen. Ralph Alvarado just became the first in the GOP race to air an ad on Lexington broadcast channels like WKYT and WLEX. Alvarado is running against state Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, and former pharmaceutical executive Greg Plucinski for the GOP nomination to Barr’s seat. Plucinski has been running ads on cable, streaming and digital since March 5.
In Alvarado’s ad, the candidate quips that “in Kentucky, a Triple Crown is rare — but so is a ‘Triple Trump.’” The phrase is meant to signify his support for Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Alvarado was a surrogate for the first Trump campaign, speaking at the Republican National Convention about the overlap between his Hispanic background and conservative values.
“Being with President Trump from the beginning means you’ll be MAGA ‘til the end,” Alvarado says in the ad.
Alvarado, a longtime physician, is also labeled a “MAHA doctor,” in reference to the “Make America Healthy Again” movement led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Plucinski’s two ads focus on a contrast between himself and Alvarado, saying that “it’s politicians versus us,” and comparing Alvarado to Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has served in the U.S. Senate for more than 40 years.
Another ad from Plucinski’s team highlights his background as a job creator.
“While Greg Plucinski built up our community, Ralph Alvarado built up his political career. Trade insiders for the outsider,” the narrator states.
Gallrein’s Trump ad
No surprises here: Gallrein is using Trump’s recent rally with him in Northern Kentucky as campaign ad material.
A new ad from the Gallrein campaign splices together Trump’s many comments at the rally, held earlier this month near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
“This is a real hero. Ed Gallrein, he’s a farmer, he’s a tremendous war hero and he’s a great patriot. I can tell you, he’s strong as hell — he shook my hand, my hand is still recovering. I’m telling you, that is the greatest candidate. This guy is iunbelievable, he is central casting. Just elect him. Ed Gallrein has my complete and total endorsement,” Trump says in the ad.
Northern Kentucky, where most of the district is located, is pro-Trump territory. Every county in the district voted for the president by at least 20 points. The populous Boone County, where the rally was held, gave Trump his highest raw vote margin in the state, which he won by more than 30 points in 2024.
Booker gets Yarmuth endorsement
There’s currently only one Democratic member in Kentucky’s eight-man federal delegation: 3rd District Rep. Morgan McGarvey.
McGarvey has stayed out of all Kentucky Democratic primaries in 2026, but as of Thursday, McGarvey’s predecessor said he was backing Charles Booker for U.S. Senate.
Former congressman John Yarmuth served the Louisville-based district for more than 15 years.
A release from Booker’s campaign cast Yarmuth as a mentor, mentioning Booker’s involvement in Yarmuth’s 2010 and 2012 campaigns. Yarmuth also endorsed Booker in 2022, when he had a relatively clear path to the nomination.
This year, Booker’s path is less clear, joined by former candidates as well as one competitor who’s raised significant funds. Former U.S. House and Senate candidate Amy McGrath is running, as are Louisville horse trainer Dale Romans, House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson and Lexington attorney Logan Forsythe.
“We can send someone to Washington who understands what regular Kentuckians are struggling with every day, and has the experience to deliver real results. Charles is a proven champion for the people, a leader dedicated to changing a broken status quo, and the trusted, authentic voice Kentucky needs right now. Out of the entire field, Charles is the only person poised to build the coalitions needed to win in November,” Yarmuth wrote in a news release.
Barr, Morris going positive
If you have cable or streaming, odds are you’ve seen the ads bashing GOP U.S. Senate candidates Barr and Nate Morris.
Perhaps in acknowledgement of just how negative the ad war has gotten, both outside groups most responsible for the negative ads have been airing positive ads touting the candidates they support.
The latest ad from pro-Morris PAC Fight For Kentucky — which was fueled by a $10 million donation from Elon Musk, the world’s richest man — strikes a triumphant note, featuring his speech at a conference hosted by Turning Point USA, the organization founded by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Morris was the last U.S. Senate candidate endorsed by Kirk before he was assassinated last year.
The narrator calls Morris “one of us, who stands with us,” and says he’s an “outsider who will take out the trash in D.C.”
Like Gallrein, pro-Barr PAC Keep America Great made the most of Trump’s rally in an ad.
Trump mentioned Barr alongside other elected officials who attended the rally, saying Barr was a “wonderful man who’s been with me all the way.”
Barr’s team has made hay of the fact that Trump’s remarks about him were slightly longer than his words on Morris and Cameron, who also attended the event. The ad highlighted those remarks.
The ad also uses audio of a segment of the crowd chanting “Andy Barr” during the event, and intersperses the ad with Barr’s speech from his campaign, including his message to undocumented immigrants: “deport yourself or we will.” Immigration has been the subject of negative ads from both sides, who have sought to portray their opponents as soft on the issue.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect that Ralph Alvarado was the first candidate in the GOP primary race for the 6th Congressional District to air an ad on broadcast television. Greg Plucinski had already been running ads on cable, streaming and other formats, but not broadcast channels.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
