Photo by Krista Laine for Austin City Council District 6.
Austin’s District 6 seat for City Council appeared to have been won by challenger Krista Laine, based on unofficial results from Travis and Williamson counties posted early Wednesday morning. Laine held a 704-vote lead over incumbent Mackenzie Kelly, according to the results, with the combined totals showing 13,953 votes for Laine and 13,249 votes for Kelly.
The more than 27,000 votes tallied across both counties for the two candidates – D6 is in northwest Austin and crosses over the county line – represented about 67 percent of the total votes cast in in the 2020 general election for the seat that was contested between four candidates. Kelly advanced to the December runoff election where she defeated incumbent Jimmy Flannigan.
Support for Laine and Kelly was similar in both counties, with Laine leading by just over 2 or 3 percent as more precinct totals were tabulated. Just before midnight, in Williamson County Laine led 7,749 to 7,420, with 94 percent of ballots counted. In Travis County, Laine led 6,204 to 5,829, with all 176 voting centers showing as counted.
Neither candidate was available for comment as of publication.
A Laine victory would mark a progressive turn for the district, which was redrawn in 2021 and saw some of its more reliably conservative areas moved into the redrawn map for the District 10 seat, which was also up for election on Tuesday.
During the campaign, Kelly highlighted her strong stance on public safety, which has been the defining issue throughout her time in office. Her term focused on expanding resources for police, fire and EMS services, including establishing a temporary public safety substation to improve response times for District 6 residents. Endorsed by the city’s public safety unions, Kelly’s focus appealed to conservative and safety-focused voters.
Her resistance to progressive initiatives – such as the HOME initiative in favor of density, which she argued would disrupt the suburban character of her district – appealed to those concerned about rapid urban development. Her alignment with conservative values on issues like reproductive rights, immigration and transgender protections underscored her distinct voice on the Council, though it may have felt out of step with the district’s changing demographics.
Laine framed her campaign around progressive policies that addressed housing affordability and inclusivity, aiming to capture support from an evolving voter base in the district. Her endorsement of the HOME initiative and hopes to streamline the city’s complex permitting processes signaled her intent to address the city’s housing challenges directly. A professional background in real estate appraisal helped Laine position herself as someone who could help reform and expedite the city’s development processes.
Public safety remained a shared priority for both. Laine took a different approach from Kelly, advocating for improved inter-agency coordination across the district’s overlapping jurisdictions in Travis and Williamson counties. Her broader view on emergency response, which included working with neighboring agencies rather than increasing police headcount alone, attracted moderate voters who prioritize efficient service over increased policing.
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Posted In: Elections, District 6
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