City

Mayor, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

Vote for: 1
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The Urban County Mayor is the chief executive of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, overseeing city and county operations for all of Lexington and Fayette County.

Nonpartisan.

Candidates Compare by issue

Raquel E. Carter

No party listed

Real estate business owner

The gist

Pledges to remove obstacles and add incentives for housing
Pledges to pursue state and federal infrastructure dollars
Proposes cutting red tape to attract industries and jobs
Pledges public reports on grants sought and received
Proposes job-path partnerships with local learning institutions

More about Raquel

View sources (2)

Pledges to remove obstacles and add incentives for housing
Vote Local Lexington: Urban County Mayor
Candidate questionnaire · Vote Local Lexington (CivicLex) · lex.vote
“I will eliminate the obstacles and create incentives to make it possible to create more homes and reach our housing goals.”
Pledges to pursue state and federal infrastructure dollars
Vote Local Lexington: Urban County Mayor
Candidate questionnaire · Vote Local Lexington (CivicLex) · lex.vote
“I will actively pursue state and federal dollars to invest in infrastructure, housing, and public safety.”
Proposes cutting red tape to attract industries and jobs
Vote Local Lexington: Urban County Mayor
Candidate questionnaire · Vote Local Lexington (CivicLex) · lex.vote
“attract new industries, and create more jobs by reducing red tape”
Pledges public reports on grants sought and received
Lexington Deserves more INVESTMENT
Campaign website · Raquel E. Carter for Mayor · raquelforlexingtonmayor.com
“Track and publicly report what we apply for and what we receive”
Proposes job-path partnerships with local learning institutions
Vote Local Lexington: Urban County Mayor
Candidate questionnaire · Vote Local Lexington (CivicLex) · lex.vote
“I will develop innovative partnerships with our local learning institutions to create a path to employment.”

Linda Gorton

No party listedIncumbent

Mayor of Lexington

The gist

Pledges to open the Legacy Business Park
Pledges continued strong city funding for affordable housing
Pledges to act on homelessness task force recommendations
Pledges to continue One Lexington youth violence prevention
Supports keeping Lexington's Urban Service Boundary

More about Linda

View sources (2)

Pledges to open the Legacy Business Park
Vote Local Lexington: Urban County Mayor
Candidate questionnaire · Vote Local Lexington (CivicLex) · lex.vote
“Open new Legacy Business Park, build to shovel-ready the Central Ky Business Park in Berea”
Pledges continued strong city funding for affordable housing
Vote Local Lexington: Urban County Mayor
Candidate questionnaire · Vote Local Lexington (CivicLex) · lex.vote
“increase number of builders who will partner to build AH units, continue strong financial support for AH”
Pledges to act on homelessness task force recommendations
Vote Local Lexington: Urban County Mayor
Candidate questionnaire · Vote Local Lexington (CivicLex) · lex.vote
“assess & act on the recommendations from my Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness”
Pledges to continue One Lexington youth violence prevention
Vote Local Lexington: Urban County Mayor
Candidate questionnaire · Vote Local Lexington (CivicLex) · lex.vote
“persist in One Lexington youth violence prevention”
Supports keeping Lexington's Urban Service Boundary
Linda's Commitments
Campaign website · Linda Gorton for Mayor · lindagorton.com
“So it is very important that we maintain that boundary.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 8 issues covered in this race.