Dembo, Alvarado & Plucinski continue to pace fundraising in KY-06 race
The race to replace outgoing Central Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr is crowded and competitive, but one candidate on each side of the political aisle continues to lead the fundraising race.
Zach Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and staffer to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, and former Republican state senator Ralph Alvarado, of Winchester, both raised the most from outside sources in the first quarter of 2026, according to Federal Elections Commission records.
Greg Plucinski, a former Nicholasville pharmaceutical executive, brought in $244,000, though most of it came from a $200,000 personal loan to his campaign.
Dembo paced the entire field in fundraising, bringing in $283,000 in the first three months of the year and ending with $457,000 in cash on hand. Alvarado raised nearly $214,000, and ended the period with the most cash on hand of any candidate at $552,000.
Former state representative Cherlynn Stevenson, a Democratic competitor who has raised the second-most and has the endorsement of Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, raised the second-most of any Democrat, bringing in $118,000 and ending the quarter with $116,000 on hand.
The Republicans are rounded out by Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, who raised a little over $100,000 in the quarter and has about $296,000 on hand.
Democratic contender Erin Petrey, a businesswoman and bourbon writer, whose ads touting her progressive bona fides are airing on television, raised about $39,000 during the quarter and ended with $122,000 on hand.
David Kloiber, a former member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council and self-funder who is running as a Democrat, raised $4,500 during the quarter and had $62,000 on hand.
Dembo, Stevenson’s reports
Dembo’s fundraising prowess, especially for a first-time candidate, is part of his electability pitch — a topic to which some Democrats are sensitive, given their candidates have lost in blowout fashion since now-U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath fell in a close election to Barr in 2018.
That was a factor in former Lexington mayor and Kentucky transportation cabinet secretary Jim Gray’s endorsement of Dembo, Gray explained at a press event Wednesday.
“I’m… impressed, frankly, with his fundraising — his ability to quickly land on his feet, get out there, talk to people and persuade them that he can win the race. That’s a big deal. His fundraising has been exceptional,” Gray said.
Dembo had several prominent Democrats, from both Central Kentucky and the Louisville area, on his report.
Here’s a rundown of some notable donors that helped pad Dembo’s fundraising lead.
- Samuel Boone, UK Board of Trustees member, $3,500.
- Barbara Young, former UK Board of Trustees, William T. Young family member, $3,500.
- Chris Young, William T. Young family member, $2,000.
- Matthew Barzun, former ambassador to Sweden and the United Kingdom, $3,000.
- Brooke Barzun, art curator and member of the Brown-Forman spirits family, $3,500.
- Campbell Brown, of the Brown-Forman spirits giant family, $3,500.
- Jon Rabinowitz, Morgan & Morgan executive, $1,000.
- Maegan Nicholson, Diamond A Farms executive & key Beshear donor, $1,000.
- Mary Nishimuta, former Kentucky Democratic Party executive director, $1,000.
- Joe Barrows, former Central Kentucky state representative, $1,000.
While short of Dembo’s mark, Stevenson brought in several contributions — more than 1,000 — with a majority of them averaging $25 or less.
Stevenson acknowledged at an event Tuesday that she hadn’t raised the most money. But, with more than a dozen people behind her dedicated to knocking doors on her behalf, she said she feels good about her odds.
“A lot of the women that you see behind me have knocked thousands and thousands of doors for me since 2018, and, you know, they are like my secret weapon. I’ll be real honest. A lot of them are retired teachers, and so they know how to read people,” Stevenson said.
The list of donors helping Stevenson in the first three months of 2026 included some notable names.
- Crit Luallen, former state auditor and lieutenant governor, $500.
- Susan Pritzker, sister-in-law to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, $1,000.
- Carol Mitchell, Director of the Division of Historic Properties serves as State Curator, $1,000.
- Committee to Elect (Louisville state Rep.) Al Gentry, $1,000.
- Emily’s List, $2,500.
- Leadership Opportunity Innovation Service PAC (Florida U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel’s PAC), $1,000.
- Preston Worley, former Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman, $1,000.
- Mike & Ava Eaves, parents of Kentucky Democratic Party executive director Morgan Eaves, $1,000 & $2,000.
Though Petrey’s numbers were lower than Stevenson’s and Dembo’s, she has been gaining name recognition with television ads and campaign events throughout the district.
In addition, Kloiber released an ad this week. Having run for mayor in 2022, winning a spot on the general election ballot but losing to Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, Kloiber has some name recognition in Fayette County.
Republican reports
Alvarado’s haul included a handful of notable Kentucky Republicans, as well as some out-of-state donations. Here’s a sampling of some of them.
- Michael Hertz, president of United Distributors, Inc., the largest beverage alcohol distributor in Georgia and Alabama, $2,500.
- GOPAC Election Fund, a group with strong ties to former state Senate GOP Floor Leader Damon Thayer, $2,500.
- Barbara Banke, owner of Kendall-Jackson Wine in California and head of Central Kentucky’s Stonestreet Horse Farm, $3,500.
- David Whitehouse, Kentucky lobbyist, $3,500.
Plucinski has been the biggest self-funder in the race, giving his campaign more than $500,000 since its inception.
In addition to his own funds, Plucinski got a $3,500 donation from former Minnesota congressional candidate Skol PAC, which supported former Minnesota congressional candidate Tyler Kistner. Kistner dropped out this month because he’s being activated from the Marine Reserves to deploy in the Middle East.
Dotson entered the final stretch of the campaign with a solid cash on hand figure of $296,000. During the most recent quarter, Dotson received a cluster of high-dollar donations from people living in his native Winchester. He also got a $250 donation from Stan Cave, a former state representative and chief of staff for former Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher.
In previous quarters, Dotson loaned himself a total of $260,000.
