People wait in line to vote on Election Day at the Lexington Public Library in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Christian Kantosky/The Watchdog

Voters across Lexington went to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3 to weigh in on several races that would determine the community’s leadership.

Fayette County had a voter turnout rate of approximately 50.07%, with 113,929 ballots cast out of 227,558 registered voters.

The ballots included races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Lexington mayor and Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council. All election results were sourced through Kentucky’s Election Night Reporting website.

US Senate

Republican candidate Rep. Andy Barr won the U.S. Senate race against Democratic candidate Charles Booker with 55% of the vote.

Barr sought to move from the U.S. House to the Senate after representing the 6th Congressional District, holding the role for 13 years. Booker previously served as the Kentucky state representative for the 43rd House District.

Barr will take the seat currently held by Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was first elected in 1984.

US Representative in Congress

Democratic candidate Zach Dembo won against Republican candidate Ralph Alvarado. Dembo will represent Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The race determined who would represent Central Kentucky in Congress, including Fayette and surrounding counties.

Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and officer in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, won the race with 53% of the vote, while Alvarado, a physician and former state senator, received 43%.

Mayoral race

The mayoral race gave voters the opportunity to choose who would lead the city’s government for the next four years.

Linda Gorton, Lexington’s current mayor, received 55% of the vote compared to Raquel Carter, principal broker and CEO of Guide Realty, who earned 45%.

Gorton’s victory will mark her third term as mayor, who was first elected in 2018.

Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council

Three at-large positions on the Urban City Council were filled by James Brown, Dan Wu and Stephanie Aschmann Spires.

Brown became the vice mayor through this election by earning the most votes among the at-large candidates.

Six of the 12 council districts had multiple candidates running for positions. District council members represent specific areas of Lexington, unlike at-large positions that represent the entire community.

In the 3rd District, Griffin VanMeter defeated Jon Larson. In the 4th District, Brenda Monarrez defeated Emma Curtis.

The chosen council members in the 3rd and 4th Districts will represent central and southern areas of Lexington, including areas around the University of Kentucky.

Tina Bryson won in the 6th District, while Amy Beasley won in the 8th District. In the 9th District, Whitney Elliot Baxter defeated Matt Miniard, and Cassandra Vogl won in the 11th District.

Tyler Morton, Shayla Lynch, Stephenie Hoelscher, Joseph Hale, Chris Woodall and Hilary Boone ran unopposed in their respective races for Districts 1, 2, 5, 7, 10 and 12.

The results finalized the composition of the Urban County Council.