Democrat running in red Kentucky district bucks party on ‘terrible’ Biden-era immigration policy

Zach Dembo, a Democrat seeking to flip Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, is breaking with his party on immigration, calling a Biden-era policy "terrible." NBC News interviewed him on Meet the Press about his campaign in a district that leans strongly Republican.

The contest could offer an early signal for the national picture. Polls in the 6th District close comparatively early on Election Day, so the results may give Democrats a first look at how they are faring in reliably red territory before returns arrive from elsewhere. That timing gives the race attention beyond Kentucky, even though the seat itself has traditionally been out of reach for the party.

Dembo's willingness to criticize his own party's earlier approach to immigration fits the posture of a candidate trying to win over voters who have not typically backed Democrats. The excerpted segment, which was posted on October 28, 2026, a week before voters head to the polls, does not spell out the specifics of the policy he objects to or lay out the rest of his platform. His appearance sits alongside other interviews with Democratic and Republican House candidates competing in conservative-leaning districts across the country this cycle.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →