Updated 12:25 a.m. CST
According to unofficial results from Travis County, Republican candidate Gerald Daugherty has won the Travis County Precinct 3 commissioner seat over incumbent Democrat candidate Karen Huber and Libertarian candidate Pat Dixon.
Huber called Daugherty around 11:45 p.m. to concede the race.
"You always feel great when you win, and I look forward to getting back in after the first of the year and doing the job that I said I wanted to do," Daugherty said, adding that he wants to focus on traffic issues, county spending and water issues. "I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and being back in there."
Daugherty had 48.16 percent of the vote, or about 61,726 votes.
Huber, who got about 46.29 percent of the vote, or about 59,331 vote, said she attributes to redistricting and plans to continue to work on water issues in the county.
"I don't have to be a commissioner to work on the water issue," Huber said.
Dixon had about 5.54 percent of the vote, or about 7,103 votes. He said he is happy his campaign has helped raise awareness for Libertarian principles.
"I don't expect overnight success, but if we continue our growth, we will get to be a major factor in Texas," Dixon said
Results are unofficial until canvassing
Updated 10:07 p.m. CST
According to unofficial results from Travis County, Republican candidate Gerald Daugherty is holding onto his lead over incumbent Democrat candidate Karen Huber and Libertarian candidate Pat Dixon.
Daugherty has about 49.27 percent of the vote, down from 50.17 percent after early voting, while Huber has about 46.15 percent of the vote, an increase from 45.71 percent after early voting. Dixon has about 4.59 percent. So far, 96,463 votes have been counted.
Huber said the night is still young and she expects this race to be close.
Posted 7:35 p.m. CST
According to early voting results, Republican candidate Gerald Daugherty is leading in the Travis County Precinct 3 commissioners race, ahead of incumbent Democrat candidate Karen Huber and Libertarian candidate Pat Dixon. In Precinct 1, Commissioner Ron Davis is running unopposed.
In Precinct 3, Daugherty earned about 50.17 percent of the vote. Huber has about 45.71 percent of the vote and Dixon has about 4.12 percent of the vote. According to Travis County officials, 82,177 votes hvae been counted.
Huber was elected to the Commissioners Court in 2008 when she beat Daugherty for the Precinct 3 seat. Huber has a master's degree in political science from The University of Texas, and has more than 20 years of experience in consulting, real estate and economic development.
Huber said her biggest concern for Travis County is the water crisis and feels a multipronged approach through state and local initiatives is the most effective way to handle the situation.
"At the local level, the lowest-hanging fruit from the state water plan is conservation," Huber said. "We don't have a culture of conservation. We have fragmented education and efforts in the region, but we need to pull them together for a unified approach and voice."
Daugherty was a county commissioner from 2002 to 2008 and has been an Austin businessman for 28 years. He said traffic and infrastructure concerns in the county are a big issue.
"The No. 1 thing you've got to have is a champion for really making traffic improvements their No. 1 issue, and you need an elected official to do that," he said. "You start with someone that is willing to say that 'It's my No. 1 issue,' and see to it that we at least consider doing something about traffic."
Dixon served twice on the Lago Vista City Council and is the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Texas. He also is the owner of DPAS Inc., a consulting company to industrial manufacturers and vendors. He said growth and sustainability are his primary issues.
"I advocate for free-market sustainability," Dixon said. "It's not sustainable to tax people to give money to corporations, to put more cars on the road and use more natural resources."
In Precinct 1, Davis, who ran unopposed, said "today, we'll let the voters speak."
