Public service over politics
My entire career has been devoted to public service, whether as a Navy JAG officer, a federal prosecutor protecting constitutional rights and fighting crime, or as a teacher in an underserved community. But after seeing the corruption in Washington D.C. and this Administration’s abuse of the criminal justice system, I knew that my public service needed to take a different path. That’s why I made the tough choice to resign as a prosecutor. And, that’s why I’m stepping up to run for Congress and fight for new leadership in Washington on behalf of Central Kentucky.
MEET Zach Dembo
Zach was raised in Lexington and is a ninth-generation Kentuckian. His family roots trace back to the mid-1700s in Shelby and Henry County. Until his parents’ generation, every ancestor on that side of the family earned their living the same way: farming.
Zach went to Stanford University and after college, worked as an eighth grade English teacher in the Mississippi Delta, as a part of the Teach For America program. He then attended the University of Michigan Law School, where he made the decision to serve his country and commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. He spent over 4 years in the Navy on active duty.
In 2017, Zach became a federal prosecutor in the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. In that role he traveled the country prosecuting crimes to protect people’s civil and constitutional rights. In 2020 he found his way home when Governor Andy Beshear appointed Zach to be his policy advisor and eventual legislative director.
After leaving the Beshear administration, Zach once again returned to his role as a federal prosecutor, this time in his hometown of Lexington, as an Assistant United States Attorney.
After seeing firsthand the corruption and politicization of the Department of Justice, Zach made the difficult choice to resign from the job that he loved. But, he didn’t want that to be the end of his public service, and he didn’t want to back down from the fight. He’s running to face the failed DC leadership head-on by running to be Central Kentucky’s voice in Congress.
Zach lives in Lexington with his wife Lindsey, their rescue dog, Sugar, and their two cats, Dierks and Chester.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives write and vote on federal laws, including the federal budget. Each represents one district and serves a two-year term. Tax bills must start in the House, only the House can impeach federal officials, and members oversee federal agencies through their committees.