Delia Garza is expected to be the next Travis County attorney after defeating primary opponent Laurie Eiserloh in a runoff July 14 for the Democratic nomination to the position.
Garza, Austin's mayor pro tem, is now set to run unopposed in November after the Republican party did not nominate any candidates for the position.
Garza received a total of 67,063 votes, or 56.78% of the vote, to Eiserloh's 43.22%.
"I congratulate Delia Garza on her victory in the Travis County attorney's race. I wish her all the best in serving this important county office," Eiserloh said in a statement July 14. "Although I am disappointed with the results, please know that I will continue to work in our community to make it a better place for all." Update: 10:16 p.m. July 14
With more than 113,000 total votes counted in the Travis County attorney race, Delia Garza is on her way to a victory over Laurie Eiserloh.
Garza has received 56.79% of the overall vote—64,724 votes total—to Eiserloh's 49,249 votes, or 43.12%.
Update: 9:47 p.m. July 14
As election day votes begin to filter in, Delia Garza has extended her lead over Laurie Eiserloh in the Travis County attorney race.
Garza has 55.5% of the vote as of 9:45 p.m. July 14, 51,694 total votes to Eiserloh's 41,392 votes or 44.5%.
In a Zoom call with supporters held as early voting returns began to come in, Garza did not claim victory but thanked her supporters, including her fellow Austin City Council members, in what she said has been "a hard campaign" for her family.
"I’ve only wanted to do this to help people and to give people a voice who don’t have a voice in these systems," she said. Original story
With early voting numbers in, Delia Garza has taken a lead over Laurie Eiserloh in the race for Travis County attorney.
Garza received 47,014 votes, or 54.86%, to Eiserloh's 45,14%, or 36,681 votes.
Eiserloh has worked in the Travis County Attorney's Office for the last 10 years and leads the employment team in the Civil Litigation Division. Garza, Austin's mayor pro tem, has represented District 2 on Austin City Council since 2014. Prior to her time on council, she served as assistant attorney general.
In the March primary election, Eiserloh received 42.2% of the vote, or 78,217 votes overall, while Garza received 38.9%, or 72,135 votes. They advanced to the runoff election over former Travis County Judge Mike Denton, who received 10.8%, and defense attorney Dominic Selvera, who received 7.3%.
The Travis County attorney is responsible for prosecuting misdemeanor crimes as well as for obtaining protective orders for domestic violence victims and involuntary commitments for some experiencing mental illness. The county attorney also advises the county’s elected officials.
The Republican Party did not put any candidates up for the seat, so whoever wins this race is expected to run and win uncontested in November. Travis County Attorney David Escamilla, who has held the seat for 17 years, will retire after his term expires at the end of the year.
Election night results are always unofficial until they are canvassed by the Travis County Clerk's Office. Voters who elected to receive a ballot by mail will have their votes tallied as long as their ballot is postmarked by July 14. This year, according to the clerk's office, more than 32,000 Travis County residents requested a ballot by mail.
