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 "excerpt": "Linda Gorton is an American politician and registered Republican who has served as Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, since 2019, after 16 years on the Urban County Council.",
 "snippet": "Linda Gorton is an American politician and registered Republican who has served as Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, since 2019, after 16 years on the Urban County Council.",
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 "markdown": "# Linda Gorton\n\nLinda Gorton is an American politician and registered Republican who has served as Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, since 2019.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://lindagorton.com/)</sup> She was re-elected in 2022 and is seeking a third term in 2026, when she will face council member and mayoral candidate Raquel Carter.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-06-17/mayor-linda-gorton-makes-her-case-for-a-third-term)</sup> Before becoming mayor, Gorton served 16 years on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, including four years as vice mayor.<sup>[2](https://lindagorton.com/)</sup>\n\n| Fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Party | Republican (registered); Lexington mayoral races are nonpartisan<sup>[4](https://www.kentuckytoday.com/news/lexington-mayor-says-she-will-be-seeking-third-term/article_a2d5c1a5-6f5f-4b6a-8914-794a7ae2d2de.html)</sup> |\n| Current office | Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky (since 2019)<sup>[2](https://lindagorton.com/)</sup> |\n| Previous offices | Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, including Vice Mayor<sup>[5](https://nursing.uky.edu/news/college-nursing-alumni-becomes-lexingtons-newest-mayor)</sup> |\n| Education | University of Kentucky College of Nursing, graduated 1971<sup>[5](https://nursing.uky.edu/news/college-nursing-alumni-becomes-lexingtons-newest-mayor)</sup> |\n\n## Party affiliation\n\nGorton is a registered Republican.<sup>[4](https://www.kentuckytoday.com/news/lexington-mayor-says-she-will-be-seeking-third-term/article_a2d5c1a5-6f5f-4b6a-8914-794a7ae2d2de.html)</sup> Lexington mayoral and Urban County Council races are nonpartisan.<sup>[4](https://www.kentuckytoday.com/news/lexington-mayor-says-she-will-be-seeking-third-term/article_a2d5c1a5-6f5f-4b6a-8914-794a7ae2d2de.html)</sup>\n\n## Early life and education\n\nGorton grew up in farm country in central Ohio, where her father sold Ford tractors and later managed a grain elevator and her mother worked in a physician's office; she was raised alongside two brothers and one sister.<sup>[5](https://nursing.uky.edu/news/college-nursing-alumni-becomes-lexingtons-newest-mayor)</sup> She attended the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, graduating in 1971, and married Charles Gorton, a Lexington native and fellow UK graduate.<sup>[5](https://nursing.uky.edu/news/college-nursing-alumni-becomes-lexingtons-newest-mayor)</sup> The couple lived in Germany, where she worked as a registered nurse while her husband was stationed with the U.S. Army, then in [Columbus, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbus-georgia), and South Korea, before settling in Lexington.<sup>[5](https://nursing.uky.edu/news/college-nursing-alumni-becomes-lexingtons-newest-mayor)</sup> She later worked as a staff nurse for a local physician and volunteered as a Family Support instructor for the U.S. Army Reserve Battalion and Brigade Pre-Command Course.<sup>[5](https://nursing.uky.edu/news/college-nursing-alumni-becomes-lexingtons-newest-mayor)</sup>\n\n## Career\n\nGorton served 16 years on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council: four terms representing the 4th District, one term as a Council Member At-Large, and one term as Vice Mayor.<sup>[5](https://nursing.uky.edu/news/college-nursing-alumni-becomes-lexingtons-newest-mayor)</sup> She has been described as the longest continuously serving member of the council.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup> She took office as mayor in 2019.<sup>[2](https://lindagorton.com/)</sup> Her official city page states that in her first term she led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, and that employment has since surpassed pre-pandemic levels.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup> She was re-elected in 2022 and is serving her second term.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup> In 2026 she announced she would seek a third term.<sup>[4](https://www.kentuckytoday.com/news/lexington-mayor-says-she-will-be-seeking-third-term/article_a2d5c1a5-6f5f-4b6a-8914-794a7ae2d2de.html)</sup>\n\n## Electoral history\n\n- **2018 mayoral election**: Gorton was elected with 63% of the vote.<sup>[2](https://lindagorton.com/)</sup>\n- **2022 mayoral election**: Gorton was re-elected on November 8, 2022, winning 71% of the vote.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup>\n- **2026 mayoral primary**: Gorton led the May primary with 46% of the vote; Raquel Carter received 28%.<sup>[3](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-06-17/mayor-linda-gorton-makes-her-case-for-a-third-term)</sup> The two will meet in the November general election.<sup>[3](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-06-17/mayor-linda-gorton-makes-her-case-for-a-third-term)</sup>\n\n## Issues specific to Gorton\n\nIn September 2026, Gorton vetoed a council-approved ordinance that would have allowed large-scale solar projects on agricultural land, capping such projects at 1,800 acres.<sup>[6](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)</sup> She pointed to the Haley Pike landfill solar project, developed by Edelen Renewables on a capped landfill, as the model she supports instead.<sup>[6](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)</sup> \"For me the veto was not about solar because I love solar and it was all about the precedent of putting industrial uses on our agricultural land,\" Gorton said.<sup>[6](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)</sup> She said Lexington's agriculture is \"about 2.6 billion dollar economy every year\" and that approving the ordinance would have been the first time in almost 70 years that a council put industrial use on agricultural land.<sup>[6](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)</sup> The council can override the veto with a nine-to-15 vote.<sup>[6](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)</sup> In a June 2026 interview, Gorton discussed her third-term plans, including addressing homelessness, a new city hall, public safety, and the city's ice storm response.<sup>[3](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-06-17/mayor-linda-gorton-makes-her-case-for-a-third-term)</sup> Asked what spurred her to run again, she said, \"I would just say, look at the record. It speaks for itself.\"<sup>[3](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-06-17/mayor-linda-gorton-makes-her-case-for-a-third-term)</sup>\n\n## Positions and voting record\n\n### Public safety\n\nPublic safety is a stated focus of Gorton's second term, along with protecting young people and improving mental health.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup> On her campaign website, she writes that her administration has been \"driving down crime rates\" and describes \"new approaches to workforce training, reaching all skill levels.\"<sup>[2](https://lindagorton.com/)</sup>\n\n### Housing and land use\n\nGorton's second-term goals include providing more affordable housing and continuing to protect working farms.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup> Her campaign site states, \"we are increasing the supply of affordable housing\" and \"we are protecting our irreplaceable farmland from development.\"<sup>[2](https://lindagorton.com/)</sup> Her September 2026 veto of the solar zoning ordinance reflected her position that industrial solar should not be placed on agricultural land.<sup>[6](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)</sup>\n\n### Energy and environment\n\nGorton supports solar development in appropriate locations. \"It's a big deal and it will help Lexington with its goal of being net zero power,\" she said of the Haley Pike landfill solar project.<sup>[6](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)</sup> She said the city encourages solar projects in the proper zones and that the ordinance she vetoed would have used agricultural land rather than a brownfield.<sup>[6](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)</sup>\n\n### Economic development\n\nGorton's stated goals include expanding Lexington's ag-tech sector to attract new employers and grow local jobs.<sup>[1](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)</sup> Her campaign site cites \"regional economic development that will provide jobs in three Bluegrass counties\" and \"new ag-tech companies, growing jobs for the future.\"<sup>[2](https://lindagorton.com/)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [About Mayor Linda Gorton | City of Lexington, Kentucky](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/mayors-office/about-mayor-linda-gorton)\n2. [Linda Gorton campaign website](https://lindagorton.com/)\n3. [Mayor Linda Gorton makes her case for a third term - WUKY](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-06-17/mayor-linda-gorton-makes-her-case-for-a-third-term)\n4. [Lexington mayor says she will be seeking third term - Kentucky Today](https://www.kentuckytoday.com/news/lexington-mayor-says-she-will-be-seeking-third-term/article_a2d5c1a5-6f5f-4b6a-8914-794a7ae2d2de.html)\n5. [College of Nursing Alumni Becomes Lexington's Newest Mayor](https://nursing.uky.edu/news/college-nursing-alumni-becomes-lexingtons-newest-mayor)\n6. [Developer offers first look at Haley Pike solar project - WKYT](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/23/developer-offers-first-look-haley-pike-solar-project/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Government and public administration › Mayors and municipal executives › Mayors of the United States › Mayors of Southern and Western cities › Surnames A to H*\n\n*Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 28, 2026; Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Sep 28, 2026 · Last review: Sep 29, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "credit": "\"Linda Gorton\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/linda-gorton. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.",
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 "speakable": "Linda Gorton is an American politician and registered Republican who has served as Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, since 2019, after 16 years on the Urban County Council."
}