Austin's District 7 council race appears headed for a December runoff election between Mike Siegel and Gary Bledsoe, based on early voting and Election Day results.
Siegel maintained a strong lead late Nov. 5 with more than 40% of the vote, followed by Bledsoe at 19.3%. A runoff is required if no candidate secures a majority of the general election vote.
Pierre Nguyễn had a 14.64% of the vote and Adam Powell had 11.15%, while candidates Todd Shaw and Edwin Bautista were both below 10%.
In an election night interview, Siegel said he's optimistic about the likely lower-turnout Dec. 14 runoff after seeing the support he received so far this year. He also said he believes his past experience will resonate with voters, and that District 7 residents would back a local candidate who will "stand up for Austin values" if Donald Trump is reelected president.
“I’m the only candidate who has my combination of community organizing and City Hall experience, and I think that’s really important to the electorate," he said.
Bledsoe didn't respond to a request for comment on election night.
Not all Travis County Election Day votes have been counted as of 11:32 p.m. Nov. 5.
Posted 7:50 p.m., Nov. 5
The race for City Council District 7 could be headed for a runoff, based on early voting results released Nov. 5.
Mike Siegel, a civil rights attorney and former Democratic Congressional candidate, outpaced his competition with almost 42% of the early vote in the North Central Austin district. He's followed by civil rights attorney Gary Bledsoe, who earned almost 19% of the early vote, and EMT and U.S. Coast Guard Reservist Pierre Nguyễn with 14.19%.
Candidate Adam Powell won 11.14% of the early vote, engineer Todd Shaw earned 8.27%, and Edwin Bautista earned 5.71%.
A runoff election, required if no candidate earns 50% of the general election vote, would be held mid-December.
All results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
The context
Voters in the North and Northwest Austin district will be electing a new representative at City Hall for the first time in a decade this fall, as Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool has reached her term limit. Six candidates are in the running to succeed her, and two would face off in the runoff mid-December if there's no majority winner this month.
The District 7 race featured candidates with varied backgrounds, including Bledsoe and Siegel in the legal field, Nguyễn in public safety, former Planning Commission Chair Shaw in engineering, Edwin Bautista in planning, and Adam Powell in organizing and recruiting.
Most of the candidates have weighed in as generally supportive of city zoning reforms and strategies that'd increase Austin's housing stock. Policy concepts include Bledsoe's focus on anti-displacement work and affordable housing construction, Shaw's push for wide-ranging land-use reforms with a focus on density, and Powell's desire to increase homeowner assistance options and more rapidly built housing.
Candidates also said District 7 is in need of mobility improvements for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, and transit options like Project Connect.
