Updated 12:49 a.m. CST Nov. 5

A strong showing by Councilwoman Kathie Tovo was nearly enough to win the first Austin City Council District 9 race outright.

Instead, Tovo and Councilman Chris Riley, second-place challenger and fellow incumbent, appear likely to square off in a Dec. 16 runoff election.

Tovo, first elected in 2011, received 49.05 percent support, or 10,003 votes, with nearly all the votes tallied, according Travis County Elections officials. Riley gained 40.41 percent, or 8,241 votes, while political newcomer Erin McGann rounded out the three-candidate race with 10.53 percent, or 2,148 votes.

Riley could only put a dent in a 10-percentage point early-voting gap but did keep the race close enough to prevent Tovo from gaining the majority of votes—the amount needed to avoid a runoff election. At one point, Travis County election results showed Tovo with 50.05 percent of the votes, but that lead quickly shrank.

Tovo came short of declaring victory nearing 11 p.m. election night as the crowd winded down during her watch party at Scholtz Bier Garten, but she did express pleasure in the results.

She touted her campaign platforms of affordability, educational opportunities and smart growth for why she gained enough such substantial support.

"[Voters] want to preserve what we love about Austin," she said, including its environment and neighborhoods.

As potentially the only Austin City Council member to transition to the new 10-district council system, Tovo said she would work with the new elected officials to maintain Austin's quality of life.

"We're still figuring out how to make sure any development matches the value of the surrounding areas," she said.

Riley, who first joined council in 2009, said a lot has changed since he first took office—when jobs were the top concern.

But as the city persevered during the economic downtown, the focus shifted, he said. Now, Riley said the top issues vary by each region of the city—even within the boundaries of District 9.

"It will be very interesting to look at the detailed results of this election," Riley said, suggesting the central section of the city may have different priorities than some of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Posted 7:10 p.m. CST

Two Austin City Council incumbents vying for the newly created District 9 seat have gained the vast majority of support, according to early voting results.

Councilwoman Kathie Tovo leads Councilman Chris Riley 49.76 percent to 39.94 percent, or 5,550 votes to 4,454 votes. Newcomer Erin McGann rounds out the three-candidate field with 10.30 percent of the vote, or 1,149 votes.

Riley, an urban enthusiast who also serves on the Capital Metro board, has touted a series of transportation initiatives in the months leading up to the election. Tovo, on the other hand, has gained the support of many neighborhood groups based on her insistence to keep single-family communities intact.

The centrally located district, created as part of Austin's new 10-district council system, is one of the most politically active districts in Austin with more than 60,000 registered voters, according to the city of Austin. The district has the second-highest number of registered voters of any district despite District 9 having the second-smallest geographic area—approximately 13 square miles.

Neighborhoods within District 9 include Bouldin, Cherrywood, Clarksville, Downtown, Hyde Park, Mueller, Pemberton, Travis Heights and West Campus. Voters within these neighborhoods can only vote in the District 9 race because of the city's new 10-district regional council system. The Austin mayoral election remains open to all residents.

The candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the votes will win the election. Otherwise the race will proceed to a Dec. 16 runoff election between the two leading candidates.

After the new City Council is established, five council members will be randomly selected to serve initial two-year terms, and five will serve initial four-year terms. The initial terms allow future council elections to be held every two years. Future council terms will last four years.