Political ads · 2026 · KY

Kentucky House District 4 2026: the ads, and who's paying for them

Ed Gallrein won · 54.2% to 40.9% · Called by AP on Nov 3

Ed Gallrein (Republican), Melissa Strange (Democrat) and Jeremy Todd (Libertarian) are the nominees for Kentucky's 4th congressional district in the November 3, 2026 general election. By their latest FEC reports, Ed Gallrein's campaign had raised $4.1 million (through October 14, 2026), Melissa Strange's campaign $157,000 (through October 14, 2026) and Jeremy Todd's campaign $31,000 (through October 14, 2026). Outside groups have reported $5.4 million for Ed Gallrein and $7.0 million against.

Ed Gallrein (REP), Melissa Strange (DEM), Jeremy Todd (LIB). 5 others filed with the FEC; any ads they ran are below. 0 ads analyzed, 0 with at least one technique in the copy. Newest first. The paid-for-by line is the advertiser's own filing.

Also on every Kentucky ballot: 1 statewide ballot measure → The ballot wording and the official arguments, read for rhetorical techniques.

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Money in this race

From FEC filings for 2025–26. Outside spending is money a group spends on its own about a candidate — TV and online ads, mail, canvassing. It is not a donation to the campaign, and the candidate does not control it. Supporting means it was spent to help that candidate win; Opposing means it was spent to defeat them, usually on attack ads. Groups report it within 24 or 48 hours as the election nears. Raised is the campaign's own fundraising, as of its latest quarterly report. Largest donors come from each outside spender's own FEC receipts, with each donor's share of its itemized receipts; donors under $100,000 are not named. People are shown with the employer and occupation they reported. A donor that is itself a political committee is shown with its own largest donors. Companies and nonprofits don't report their funders to the FEC, so the trail ends there, and the page says so.

Ed Gallrein (REP)

Raised
$4.1M through 2026-10-14 individuals $3.9M · PACs $197K · from the candidate's other committees $26K · cash on hand $434K
Outside spending
$7.0M opposing Gallrein · $5.4M supporting Gallrein · latest reported 2026-10-20
Largest outside spenders
KENTUCKY 4TH PAC — $6.7M opposing Gallrein Largest donors: TAMARACK ASPEN, INC $6.7M (>99%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC) RJC VICTORY FUND — $3.5M supporting Gallrein Largest donors: KUA VENTURES LLC $5.0M (72%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Herb Shear $580K (8%), Retired, Retired; CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND $350K (5%); LEON RACHEL CORP $250K (4%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); TRULIEVE INC $250K (4%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC) MAGA KY — $1.3M supporting Gallrein Largest donors: AMERICA 21 PAC $5.2M (65%); Paul Elliott Singer $1.0M (13%), Elliott Management Corporation, Founder & CEO; PRESERVE AMERICA PAC $750K (9%); MAGA INC. $560K (7%); John Alfred Paulson $250K (3%), Paulson & CO INC, President UNITED DEMOCRACY PROJECT ('UDP') — $579K supporting Gallrein Largest donors: AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE $30.0M (28%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Paul Singer $2.6M (2%), Elliott Investment Management, Founder; Haim Saban $2.0M (2%), Saban Capital Group, CEO; MANZANITA ACTION FUND $1.6M (2%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Marc Rowan $1.5M (1%), Apollo Management, Investments HOLD THE LINE PAC — $285K opposing Gallrein Largest donors: HERITAGE DAIRY LLC $500K (82%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC) and 2 more
Bundled through PACs
$67K through 1 PAC · FEC bulk data of 2026-11-01 REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (RJC-PAC) — $67K from 43 gifts Lobbyist/registrant PAC
16 PACs gave directly — alphabetical; the legal limit is $5,000 per election
  • AMERICAN OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION PAC $2,500
  • AMERICAN PRINCIPLES $500
  • BUCKEYE LIBERTY PAC $5,000
  • BUILDING AMERICA'S REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATION PAC $3,730
  • CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PAC (US CHAMBER PAC) $2,500
  • ELECTING MAJORITY MAKING EFFECTIVE REPUBLICANS PAC $5,000
  • EMMER FOR CONGRESS $2,000
  • GRAND CANYON STATE CAUCUS $3,000
  • JIM JORDAN FOR CONGRESS $2,000
  • NORPAC $3,900
  • RAPTOR PAC $5,000
  • REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION PAC (RJC-PAC) $5,000
  • SEAL PAC SUPPORTING ELECTING AMERICAN LEADERS PAC $5,000
  • SEND IN THE SEAL PAC $5,000
  • SUN PAC $5,000
  • U.S. ISRAEL PAC (USI PAC) $1,000

All filings at the FEC ↗

Melissa Strange (DEM)

Raised
$157K through 2026-10-14 individuals $136K · PACs $1,250 · candidate's own money, incl. loans $20K · cash on hand $41K
Outside spending
none reported
Bundled through PACs
none reported · FEC bulk data of 2026-11-01
1 PAC gave directly — alphabetical; the legal limit is $5,000 per election
  • DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY ACTION $500

All filings at the FEC ↗

Jeremy Todd (LIB)

Raised
$31K through 2026-10-14 individuals $29K · PACs $750 · candidate's own money, incl. loans $1,202 · cash on hand $3,389
Outside spending
none reported
Bundled through PACs
none reported · FEC bulk data of 2026-11-01

All filings at the FEC ↗

No campaign ads analyzed for this race yet.

What this page is

  • An ad is on this page because its own "Paid for by" line is a campaign in this race; or it comes from a national Senate group and ran mostly in KY; or it ran mostly in KY and names a candidate — unless its sponsor is a campaign for some other office. Ads from outside groups appear alongside the campaigns' own.
  • Campaigns run one text as many separate ads. Identical text from the same sponsor is one card here, marked with its number of variants.
  • A technique is a specific rhetorical move in the wording, found by our model and explained in one line. It is not a claim that the ad is false.
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  • Video ads come from the campaigns' own YouTube channels; the transcript is analyzed. Meta ads are analyzed on their text; their video and images are not, yet.

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