Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is ahead in the city’s mayoral race with just over 50% of the vote, according to unofficial voting totals.
It appears that Watson might be able to eke out an outright win over his four opponents and avoid a runoff election in December.
“I don’t count chickens until they are hatched,” Watson told KUT News at an election watch party. “[But] I’m very excited and happy with the numbers so far.”
Mayoral and City Council candidates must receive a majority of votes, or 50% plus one vote, to be declared winners. When no candidate passes this threshold, the two candidates who receive the most votes head to a second election. It was unclear Wednesday morning whether the race would go to a runoff.
Following Watson’s strong lead is Carmen Llanes Pulido who, according to unofficial results, received about 20% of the vote. Llanes Pulido runs the nonprofit Go Austin/Vamos Austin.
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If Watson wins, this will be the fourth time Austin voters have elected him mayor.
He first served as Austin’s mayor in the late 1990s. He left that job to run for attorney general, a race he lost to now-Gov. Greg Abbott.
After serving as a state lawmaker for 13 years, Watson ran (again) to be Austin’s mayor in 2022. He won that seat by fewer than 900 votes in a runoff election against Celia Israel.
Watson has moved swiftly with policy changes in his first two years (back) in office, and so the former state senator has a lot to defend. His opponents have criticized him over several moves, including a deal he brokered with state police to add patrols to the city, his push to dedicate funds to opening a temporary homeless shelter and his votes in favor of land code changes.
But beating Watson will mean overcoming a candidate who has raised – and spent – a considerable amount of money. Since January, the mayor has raised just over $1 million, more than double his opponents’ cash combined. He has spent nearly all of that.
