# Carter out-raises Gorton in first general-election finance report; challenger holds $119,000 to mayor's $77,000 **Published:** 2026-09-19T01:20:00.000Z **Source:** [The Lexington Times](https://secure.kentucky.gov/kref/publicsearch/CandidateSearch) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-fable-5-1) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/carter-out-raises-gorton-first-general-election-finance-report-2026 **License:** [CC BY-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/) — You may republish this article, in full and unaltered, for free — including commercially — with credit to The Lexington Times and a link to the original. **LEXINGTON, Ky.** — Raquel Carter raised more money than Mayor Linda Gorton between the May primary and Sept. 4 and ended the period with more cash in the bank, according to the first general-election campaign finance reports filed with the [Kentucky Registry of Election Finance](https://secure.kentucky.gov/kref/publicsearch/CandidateSearch) this week. Carter's report, amended Wednesday, Sept. 16, shows $102,600 in new contributions, $54,316 spent and $118,827 on hand. Gorton's report, filed the same day, shows $81,168 in new contributions, $32,352 spent and $77,061 on hand. The two candidates are drawing on different Lexingtons. Carter's largest checks came from homebuilders, real-estate brokers and three building-trades unions. Gorton's came from the horse industry and from senior members of her own administration, six of whom listed the city government as their employer. It is the first Lexington mayoral report filed under Kentucky's new contribution limit. [House Bill 139](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb139.html), which the General Assembly passed over Gov. Andy Beshear's veto in April, raised the maximum gift from one person or political action committee from $2,200 to $3,500 per election on July 15. Eleven of Carter's donors gave the new maximum. Two of Gorton's did. The report covers the period from the day after the May 19 primary through Friday, Sept. 4. It was due Sept. 16, and every report on file was received by the deadline. Carter's original report, filed Monday, Sept. 14, counted her primary carryover twice and showed $243,839 in receipts and $189,524 on hand. Her campaign corrected it two days later. ## Where Carter's money came from Carter reported 316 itemized gifts from 258 people. Her median gift was $100, and 207 of her gifts were under $200, together worth about $12,000. About four-fifths of her new money came from Lexington ZIP codes. The top of her list looks different. Twenty-five gifts of $1,000 or more accounted for $50,900, or 56% of her itemized individual money. Eight individuals and three union PACs each gave the $3,500 maximum: - James Codell, owner of Codell Construction, who gave $2,200, the old maximum, on June 1 and added $1,300 on Aug. 26 after the limit rose. - Greggery Buchanan, a real-estate broker with ERA Select, and Karen Mumme, an attorney with Land Group Title, both on Aug. 13. - Jason Akers, president of Rising Sun Developing, on Aug. 7. - James Monroe, owner of James Monroe Homes, and Martha Monroe, a nurse, on July 27. - Mindy and John Foley, both self-employed, on July 28. - Three union political action committees: Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 452 in Lexington on Aug. 7, Sheet Metal Workers Local 110 in Louisville on Aug. 14, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers' national PAC on Sept. 1. The Kentucky Realtors PAC added $1,000, bringing Carter's PAC total to $11,500. Gorton reported no PAC money. Michael Ball, co-CEO of Ball Homes, Lisa Ball, its CEO, and Mira Ball, who listed herself as retired, gave Carter $2,000 each on Aug. 20. The same three gave $6,000 to 11th District council candidate Richard Moloney on Aug. 19 and 20. Donors who listed a homebuilder, construction firm, real-estate brokerage, developer or title company as their employer gave Carter $41,257, about 40% of her new money, across 72 gifts. The same group gave Gorton $6,750, about 8% of hers. The Lexington Times classified donors by the employer and occupation fields as filed by each campaign, using the method it built for its at-large coverage; gifts with no employer listed, or listed as retired or self-employed, were left out of every category. ## Where Gorton's money came from Gorton reported 102 itemized gifts from 99 people, with a median gift of $500. Forty-five of those gifts were $1,000 or more, and they made up 76% of her itemized dollars. She reported no itemized gift under $200; her small donations came in as $4,834 in unitemized receipts. About 87% of her new money came from Lexington ZIP codes. Her three largest gifts arrived on the same day, Tuesday, Aug. 25: $3,500 each from Charles Creech, listed as retired, and Ellen Creech, listed as a homemaker, and $3,000 from Gatewood Gay, listed as a salesman at Charles T. Creech Inc., a Lexington hay and straw company that says it serves equestrian facilities worldwide. Marc Guilfoil of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority gave $2,235. Susan Speckert, chief operating officer of the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, gave $1,698. Frank Penn of Pennbrook Farm gave $2,000. Donors who listed a horse farm, racing body or equine business as their employer gave Gorton about $17,700, or 22% of her new money. Counting the three Creech-family gifts, whose employer fields read "N/A," brings the horse-industry total to about $27,700, or 34%. About 40% of Gorton's new money came from donors who listed no employer at all. Seven donors who work for or alongside the mayor gave $6,000. Director of Communications Susan Straub, Chief Development Officer Kevin Atkins, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Glenn Brown and Charles Martin, listed as an engineer, each gave $1,000 and listed LFUCG as their employer. Erin Hensley, the city's commissioner of finance, listed on the report as an accountant, and Maureen Watson, executive assistant to the mayor, gave $500 each. Harold Tate, listed as president of the Lexington Downtown Development Authority, gave $1,000. Two city employees appear on Carter's report, giving a combined $125. Kentucky law and Lexington's ethics ordinance do not bar city employees from contributing to the mayor's campaign. State law forbids only coerced contributions and political work while on duty. ## What they spent Nearly half of Carter's spending went to one vendor. She paid Lake Research Partners $26,158 for polling, the survey her campaign [released Aug. 31](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/08/31/carter-internal-poll-statistical-tie-gorton-data-center-ban/) showing the race within the margin of error. Gorton's campaign told the Lexington Herald-Leader that poll was "the act of a desperate campaign grasping at straws." Carter also paid $10,000 to Voltage Campaign for fundraising, $7,500 to Try Hi Strategies for campaign management and $4,500 to two people listed as staff and consulting. Gorton spent $32,352. Two-thirds of it, $21,570, went to Logical Marketing for advertising and marketing materials. Besten & Dieruf PLLC received $5,329 for campaign finance services and postage, and Piper-Smith LLC $3,000 for consulting. ## The veto and the "major donors" Gorton said Friday, Sept. 18, that she is vetoing an ordinance the Urban County Council passed 8-7 on Sept. 10 that would have allowed large-scale solar farms as a conditional use in the county's agricultural zones. "In their commendable desire to support solar projects, Councilmembers unfortunately set a gigantic precedent," she said in a [statement released by the city](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/mayor-vetoes-decision-allow-industrial-use-farmland). "One of the most environmentally friendly things we can do in Lexington is protect our farmland from the threat of industrialization." Carter said in a statement [quoted by WKYT](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/18/lexington-mayor-linda-gorton-veto-councils-solar-ordinance/): "Linda Gorton's veto of this solar ordinance is not surprising because her major donors wanted her to veto it." The filings do not show who asked the mayor for a veto. They do show that her largest gifts came from a family whose business sells hay to horse farms, and that horse farms and farm owners were the biggest identifiable bloc of her donors. Neither candidate reported a gift from anyone listing a solar company as an employer. Overriding the veto takes nine votes, one more than the ordinance received. That vote could come as soon as the council returns from its fall recess Oct. 6, [CivicLex reported](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/09/18/mayor-vetoes-large-scale-solar-in-lexington-s-agricultural-zones-will-council/). ## How this compares Gorton has faced a better-funded challenger before. In 2018, Ronnie Bastin reported $277,131 for the same period, about $222,000 of it from other people, against Gorton's $95,998. In 2022, David Kloiber reported $124,621, but $117,917 of it was his own loans; he raised $6,704 from others. Gorton reported $56,041 that year and won with 71% of the vote. Gorton's $81,168 in new contributions is about $25,000 more than she raised from others in the same period of 2022. She finished the May 19 primary with about 46% of the vote to Carter's 28% in a seven-candidate field. In the primary, Carter raised $134,672 from others and put in $52,050 of her own money as loans. Her closing primary report also lists a $52,050 contribution from herself dated June 18, the same amount as the loans. June 18 was the last day of the 30-day post-primary reporting period. That is consistent with forgiving her own loans, which KREF records as a candidate contribution, but the filing does not say whether the entry was new cash. Gorton raised $96,410 in the primary. ## Council at-large Six candidates are running for three at-large seats with no primary. Vice Mayor Dan Wu and council member James Brown are nearly even: Wu reported $69,864 in total receipts, $24,880 in new itemized gifts and $36,118 on hand; Brown reported $67,806, $23,775 and $35,728. Wu took $500 from the Lexington firefighters' PAC, and Brown $1,000 from the Kentucky Realtors PAC. Stephanie Spires reported $16,874 and $13,383 on hand. Herbert Lynn had the most donors of any at-large candidate, 73, and the least money among the four leaders, $7,267 plus $2,763 of in-kind help, with $3,843 on hand. His median gift was $20, and none reached $1,000. William Ohmer reported $4,229, including $1,371 in loans from himself, with $2,370 on hand. Christopher Shafer reported $1,747, nearly all carryover and his own loans, and ended the period with $32 and $465 in debt. ## Council districts All 12 district seats are on the ballot. Six are contested. - 3rd District. Griffin VanMeter carried $86,908 from his primary committee, added $1,422, spent $21,757 and has $66,572 on hand. Jon Larson filed a report showing no activity. - 4th District. Council member Emma Curtis reported $7,451, including $500 from the firefighters' PAC, and $6,409 on hand. Former council member Brenda Monarrez, whom Curtis beat by 313 votes in 2024, reported $1,592. - 6th District. Tina Bryson reported $10,078, most of it carryover, with $8,152 on hand. Tyler Pyles reported $2,470, including $750 from the Fayette County Republican Women's Club, a registered state PAC, in a nonpartisan race. - 8th District. Neither Tray Hughes nor Amy Beth Beasley filed a 60-day report. Both are listed by the registry as exempt, a status for candidates who expect to raise and spend $5,000 or less. - 9th District. Council member Whitney Elliott Baxter reported $8,237, including $1,000 from the Kentucky Realtors PAC. Matt Miniard had no report on file as of Friday evening. - 11th District. Former at-large council member Richard Moloney reported $39,752, half of it carryover, and $30,233 on hand. About 56% of his new money came from developer and construction donors by the Times' measure, including the $6,000 from the Ball family and $2,500 from Akers, who also gave Carter the maximum. Cassandra Vogl reported $6,909, including $5,500 from 40 itemized donors, and $5,723 on hand. Council member Jennifer Reynolds, who holds the seat and is not running again, gave Vogl $100. In the 5th District, Stephenie Hoelscher reported $18,234, including $1,500 from Teamsters Local 651, and has no remaining opponent after Nicholas Wolter withdrew. Tyler Morton, Shayla Lynch, Joseph Hale, Chris Woodall and Hilary Boone are unopposed. ## School board and county offices In Fayette County Board of Education Division 2, Kathy Schiflett reported $8,381, including $3,229 in loans from herself and $250 from a Teamsters PAC. Board chair Tyler Murphy reported $5,500 and R. J. Hijalda $2,525. In Division 4, Rodney Jackson reported $10,807 and has spent most of it. Incumbent Amanda Ferguson is listed as exempt. Property Valuation Administrator David O'Neill, County Attorney Angela Evans and Sheriff Kathy Witt are unopposed and reported only carryover. ## What comes next The next report covers through Oct. 4 and is due Oct. 13. A final pre-election report covers through Oct. 19 and is due Oct. 28. The council returns from recess Oct. 6, when the override vote on the solar veto could come, and has [scheduled a special committee of the whole](https://engage.lexingtonky.gov/DataCenters) that evening to take public comment on data-center zoning. The city's data-center moratorium expires Oct. 31. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. _Correction to an earlier story: The Lexington Times reported Aug. 31 that the first general-election finance reports were due in early October. Under the schedule set by House Bill 139, the 60-day report was due Sept. 16._ _Sources: Kentucky Registry of Election Finance candidate reports and contributor export for the Nov. 3, 2026, election, pulled Sept. 18, 2026; KREF organization registry; Fayette County Clerk list of general-election candidates, posted Sept. 3, 2026; Fayette County Clerk official cumulative report for the May 19, 2026, primary; Fayette County Clerk 2022 precinct canvass; Fayette County Clerk 2024 general-election canvass; LFUCG Legistar records 0528-26, 0529-26, 0651-26 and 0711-26; City of Lexington news release, Sept. 18, 2026; WKYT, Sept. 18, 2026. Contribution totals in this story include in-kind gifts, which were $153 for Carter and $3,671 for Gorton; spending and cash-on-hand figures are as reported by each campaign on its KREF summary page. Developer and horse-industry shares use the employer and occupation fields as filed by each campaign; rows with no employer listed were not classified._ ## Sources - [Kentucky Registry of Election Finance — candidate search, Nov. 3, 2026 general election (60-day pre-election reports)](https://secure.kentucky.gov/kref/publicsearch/CandidateSearch) - [KREF contributor export, election date 11/3/2026 (pulled Sept. 18, 2026)](https://secure.kentucky.gov/kref/publicsearch/ExportContributors?ElectionDate=11%2F3%2F2026%2000%3A00%3A00&ContributionSearchType=All) - [KREF Contribution Limit Chart, revised July 2026](https://kref.ky.gov/Pages/Contribution-Limits.aspx) - [Kentucky General Assembly, HB 139 (2026 RS)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb139.html) - [Fayette County Clerk — 2026 general election candidates in ballot order (posted Sept. 3, 2026)](https://fayettecountyclerk.com/web/elections/) - [LFUCG Legistar — Ordinance 0651-26 (solar energy systems), passed Sept. 10, 2026](https://lexington.legistar.com/) - [LFUCG Legistar — Resolution 0528-26 (data-center moratorium), June 9, 2026](https://lexington.legistar.com/) - [WKYT, Sept. 18, 2026 — Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton to veto council's solar ordinance](https://www.wkyt.com/2026/09/18/lexington-mayor-linda-gorton-veto-councils-solar-ordinance/) - [The Lexington Times, Aug. 31, 2026 — Carter's internal poll claims a dead heat with Gorton](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/08/31/carter-internal-poll-statistical-tie-gorton-data-center-ban/) - [The Lexington Times, Aug. 29, 2026 — Gorton and Carter trade barbs over Kentucky American Water](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/08/29/gorton-carter-trade-barbs-kentucky-american-water-psc-complaint/) - [The Lexington Times, May 10, 2026 — Horse-industry money lifts Gorton's reelection while developers prop up Wu](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/05/10/horse-industry-money-lifts-gortons-reelection-while-developers-prop-up-wu-in-last-pre-primary-report/) - [krefwatch.com — Nov. 3, 2026 election (The Lexington Times' statewide KREF tracker)](https://krefwatch.com/) --- This article was reported and written with AI (claude-fable-5-1) by The Lexington Times newsroom from primary records: Kentucky Registry of Election Finance candidate reports and the contributor export for the Nov. 3, 2026, election, the Fayette County Clerk's candidate list and primary results, LFUCG Legistar records and the cited news reports. Every dollar figure was recomputed from the KREF export and checked against each campaign's KREF summary page. Donor-industry shares use employer and occupation fields as filed by the campaigns. The cover chart was rendered from those reported figures.