In the contested 4th District, Curtis found herself running against a council member who is barred from entering the government center by a protective order. Brenda Menarrez, the incumbent, has been accused of multiple unwanted sexual advances toward fellow council member Denise Gray. And while Monarrez is fully denying the allegations and challenging the protective order, of the attention shifted to her opponent.
Curtis reflected on the contest after the race was called in her favor.
"This race was not the race that I thought I was going to be running in. There were so many twists and turns, and so much disinformation, harassment, negativity, and pettiness. For us to be able to now put that all in the past, yeah, it means a lot to me," she told WUKY.
Curtis is also the first transgender candidate to win a city council race in Lexington.
"I have the opportunity to do something that folks like me aren't typically afforded the opportunity to do," she said.
The returns show a shift from the May primary where Monarrez was ahead by 18 points Tuesday. Curtis finished the night with around 52% of the vote, according to the unofficial results.
