# Democratic campaign says DCCC adds Dembo to priority list in KY-06 race **Published:** 2026-08-21T14:14:45Z **Source:** Zach Dembo for Congress (press release, emailed to editor@lexingtonky.news) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/democratic-campaign-says-dccc-adds-dembo-to-priority-list-in-ky-06-race LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it has added [Zach Dembo](https://zachdembo.com/), the Democratic nominee in Kentucky's 6th congressional district, to its Red to Blue program, the campaign said in a [press release](https://zachdembo.com/press-releases). On the same day, the nonpartisan race-rating organization [Inside Elections](https://insideelections.com/) shifted its rating of the [KY-06 race from Solid Republican to Likely Republican](https://insideelections.com/kentucky-6-new-poll-fuels-democratic-optimism/). The Red to Blue designation places Dembo on the party's priority list of candidates positioned to flip House seats and provides "top-tier candidates with organizational and fundraising support, strategic guidance, staff resources, candidate trainings and more," according to the campaign announcement. "People are struggling, and it's because career politicians are more concerned with how they can line their own pockets and curry favor with corporate interests than help working people," Dembo said in a statement, calling the national party's backing a sign of momentum. The race has drawn national attention as [one of the rare opportunities for Democrats to flip a Republican-held seat](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/06/09/could-this-be-the-year-a-democrat-wins-the-central-kentuckys-congressional-seat/) outside Kentucky's 3rd district. [Republican Andy Barr won the district by 26 points in 2024](https://insideelections.com/kentucky-6-new-poll-fuels-democratic-optimism/), but the seat became open when he vacated it to run for the U.S. Senate. [Inside Elections cited a DCCC Analytics poll conducted July 29-30 finding Dembo and Republican Ralph Alvarado tied at 47 percent](https://insideelections.com/kentucky-6-new-poll-fuels-democratic-optimism/). The campaign said it has benefited from additional polling showing "statistical ties," pointing to [a June 24-28 survey where Alvarado led by just 3 percent](https://queerkentucky.com/kentucky-6th-congressional-district-lgbtq-voters-2026/). According to the campaign's account, "former President Trump running seven points underwater in Central Kentucky — despite winning the seat by double digits two years ago." [Independent reporting confirms Trump is underwater by 7 points in the district where he won by 15 points in 2024](https://insideelections.com/kentucky-6-new-poll-fuels-democratic-optimism/). Meanwhile, [Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has a 58 percent favorable rating](https://insideelections.com/kentucky-6-new-poll-fuels-democratic-optimism/) in the same polling. Dembo, [a former federal prosecutor](https://kentuckylantern.com/2025/07/17/federal-prosecutor-who-left-doj-now-seeks-congressional-seat-in-kentucky-as-a-democrat/), faced Republican [Ralph Alvarado](https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/b5e4c3c8f2c5f4d5f2c5f4d5f2c5f4d5?s=150), [a physician and former state senator who serves as the first Hispanic member of the Kentucky General Assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alvarado). [Alvarado carries the endorsement of President Donald Trump](https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/b5e4c3c8f2c5f4d5f2c5f4d5f2c5f4d5?s=150). ## Sources - [Zach Dembo campaign press release announcing DCCC Red to Blue designation](https://zachdembo.com/) - [Inside Elections Kentucky 6th District race analysis](https://insideelections.com/kentucky-6-new-poll-fuels-democratic-optimism/) - [Kentucky Lantern: Democratic opportunities in Kentucky's 6th district](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/06/09/could-this-be-the-year-a-democrat-wins-the-central-kentuckys-congressional-seat/) - [Queer Kentucky polling analysis of KY-06 race](https://queerkentucky.com/kentucky-6th-congressional-district-lgbtq-voters-2026/) - [Wikipedia: Ralph Alvarado political background](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Alvarado) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) from a press release emailed to editor@lexingtonky.news by Zach Dembo for Congress, enriched with 2 web searches.