Hanna defeats Larson in Fayette judge-executive race: ‘I look forward to tackling this job’
Mary Diane McCord Hanna, a Democrat, has defeated Republican candidate Jon Larson in Fayette County’s judge-executive race, according to unofficial election results Tuesday.
It was Hanna’s first time running for public office.
“I look forward to tackling the job,” Hanna told the Herald-Leader when reached by phone Tuesday night.
Unofficial election results released Tuesday after polls closed show Hanna with a lead of 57,252 votes to Larson’s 45,490 votes.
Hanna has previously advocated against development in more outlying parts of Fayette County, and said serving as judge-executive would allow her to “be able to fight what the other judge-executives and the people in the city of Lexington sometimes want to do.”
Larson was previously elected judge-executive in 2011 and served until 2014. He was then appointed to the office again in 2018 after the judge-executive at the time resigned.
A criminal defense attorney, Larson highlighted his engagement in the community, volunteering at the jail and working with Veterans Treatment Court. During the campaign, he framed his outlook as nonpartisan, previously telling the Lexington Herald-Leader: “I don’t consider myself a hardcore anything except a community activist.”
Reached Tuesday night, Larson said he appreciated serving the public previously as judge-executive and offered to help Hanna in any way he could.