Kentucky Congressional Hopeful Has a Vanderpump Rules Past and an Ashley Madison Problem

‘I mean, it got a long-time state representative beaten in Northern Kentucky’

EXCLUSIVE: Kentucky Congressional Hopeful Has a Vanderpump Rules Past and an Ashley Madison Problem

Kentucky state Rep. Ryan Dotson, a Republican candidate for the state's 6th Congressional District who frequently emphasizes faith and family on the campaign trail, appears in data from the 2015 Ashley Madison breach, according to a review of leaked records by Sources Say News.

Dotson, a Pentecostal pastor, made national headlines in 2019 when he was dropped from officiating the Vanderpump Rules wedding of Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright after social media posts opposing the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling resurfaced online.

The leaked database contains information associated with Dotson, including geographic coordinates linked to the Winchester, Kentucky area where he has lived and worked. The presence of such data does not confirm that an individual personally created or used an account. Dotson's campaign disputed the allegation.

"There is no way to verify the claims that Ryan submitted this email to Ashley Madison. Anybody could have done that," a campaign statement said. His wife, Tresa Dotson, also pushed back, calling the allegations "smears and baseless accusations."

The candidate has built his public identity around his Christian faith, describing himself on his campaign website as "a Pastor, a husband, daddy, and granddad”

He was elected to the Kentucky House in 2020 and has since compiled what he describes as "one of the strongest conservative voting records of any State Representative in the country."

Political campaign mailer obtained by Sources Say News

Dotson's campaign finances have also drawn scrutiny from some within the state. Federal records show his company, Dotson Enterprises Inc., received two fully forgiven Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling roughly $815,379 in 2020 and 2021.

Federal Election Commission filings show Dotson has contributed approximately $260,000 of his own money to his congressional campaign with just under $1.1 million reported in his savings account, which one Republican operative said raises questions about why the PPP loans were not repaid.tured on 24sight news

Nash said Dotson "lawfully received PPP loans to keep his employees paid while he fought against lockdowns."Similar Ashley Madison allegations have surfaced in Kentucky races in the past. A 2022 political mailer referenced the breach in an attack on Republican candidate Adam Koenig, who went on to lose his seat. Republican political operative Tres Watson said the controversy surrounding Koenig shows how politically damaging the issue can be in the state.

“I mean, it got a long-time state representative beaten in Northern Kentucky,” he said. “And that was somebody who, when he signed up for Ashley Madison, he was divorced already. He was not currently married at the time, and he was much more moderate — certainly not viewed as a Pentecostal, far-right social conservative.”

Dotson is among several candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the seat being vacated by Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), who is running for U.S. Senate. The primary is scheduled for May 19, 2026.