Lexington, KY Politics: Is It Liberal or Conservative?

Election Results and Trends in Lexington, KY

In the last Presidential election, Lexington, KY voted predominantly Democrat, with 59.3% of voters casting their ballot for Biden, while 38.5% of voters in Lexington voted for Trump, and other parties voting 2.1%. Based on these voting patterns, Lexington is considered a moderately liberal city. Specifically, it ranks 131st out of the most populated 333 cities in the United States in terms of liberalism based on the 2020 Presidential election results. Conversely, when looking at the conservative voting patterns in the 2020 election, Lexington ranks 201st out of the 333 most populated cities, indicating a relatively low conservative vote.

Presidential Elections Voting Trend

The last six Presidential election results (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) for Lexington, KY are: R R D D D D

In Lexington, Presidential voting has leaned Democrat in the past six elections. The city voted for Bill Clinton in 1996, Al Gore (2000), John Kerry (2004), Barack Obama (2008 and 2012), Hillary Clinton (2016), and Joe Biden (2020). Although Kentucky typically leans Republican, Lexington's voting behavior reflects a more liberal trend, particularly as the city's urban population has grown.

Local Elections

Lexington's city-level elections are nonpartisan, but moderate and sometimes progressive policies have generally characterized the leadership. Mayors such as Jim Gray, who served from 2011 to 2019, and Linda Gorton, who took office in 2019, have emphasized bipartisan governance. Despite the nonpartisan nature, the trend towards centrism and occasional liberal leanings is noticeable, focusing on local issues over strict party alignment.