Kentucky primary election 2024: Fogle, Morton advance in Lexington 1st Council District

Beth Musgrave
·2 min read

A Lexington councilwoman will face her former aide in November’s general election.

Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilwoman Tayna Fogle received 39% of votes cast during Tuesday’s primary. Tyler Morton received 58%. Coming in third was Darnell Tagaloa, a Pepsi sales account executive, with 4%, according to unofficial results from the Kentucky Board of Elections website.

All council races are nonpartisan. The top two vote-getters in the May primary move on to the November general election.

Fogle, 64, is serving her first term as the First District council member. The First District includes parts of downtown Lexington north of Main Street and extends to Interstate 75. It includes neighborhoods along Newtown Pike, North Broadway and North Limestone.

The race has not been without controversy. In late February, Fogle accused Morton, 25, who worked for Fogle when she was first elected, of stealing emails from her office. Morton, who is an anesthesia technician, denied the allegation and said he collected the emails.

Fogle was also charged with several misdemeanors after a dust-up at a Lexington AT&T store in early March. Those charges were eventually dismissed.

Sign up for our Bluegrass Politics Newsletter


A must-read newsletter for political junkies across the Bluegrass State with reporting and analysis from the Lexington Herald-Leader. Never miss a story! Sign up for our Bluegrass Politics newsletter to connect with our reporting team and get behind-the-scenes insights, plus previews of the biggest stories.



During the campaign, Fogle, Morton and Tagaloa said they did not want to focus on past controversies. Instead, the three candidates said they wanted to focus on issues important to the First District, including homelessness, affordable housing, crime and safer streets.

Fogle also championed her work bringing more money to the First District, including more pedestrian crossings around First District schools and the new Douglass Pool. Fogle said she wanted to continue working for the First District.

Morton pledged to be open and transparent with First District residents. Morton also said he wanted to tackle issues like crime through more mental health services, job training and other outreach.

Morton had the clear fundraising advantage. As of May 8, Morton had raised $29, 979. Some of his donors include former vice mayors Mike Scanlon and Steve Kay and Mount Brilliant Farm owner Greg Goodman. Fogle raised $1,441, according to Kentucky Registry of Election Finance records.

Tagaloa raised no money, according to Kentucky Registry of Election Finance records.