Updated 2:05 p.m. Nov. 6
Marc Duchen won Austin City Council's District 10 race, according to unofficial election results.
Duchen narrowly defeated his opponent, Ashika Ganguly, with 20,783 votes, or 50.59%, to Ganguly’s 20,298, or 49.41%.
“We won this race by uniting Austinites, not by trying to divide them,” Duchen said in a statement. “As District 10’s next council member, I’ll bring that same spirit of community collaboration to City Hall. I’ll work with all stakeholders to make our streets safer, spend our tax dollars more wisely, and protect our neighborhoods and natural environment.”
On social media, Ganguly expressed pride in her performance in the "incredibly close race" and congratulated Duchen for his win.
"He ran a vigorous campaign, and we pushed each other to work hard and meet our neighbors where they are. I look forward to working with him to advance the policies that matter most to West Austin," she said.
Duchen will be the West Austin district's first new voice at City Hall in nearly a decade. Outgoing two-term council member Alison Alter beat District 10's first-ever representative Sheri Gallo in 2016, and secured re-election in a 2020 runoff.
All results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
Posted 8 p.m. Nov. 5
Marc Duchen is leading in the initial vote count in West Austin's District 10 City Council race, according to early voting results.
Duchen leads with 18,321 votes to Ganguly's 17,798, based only on early voting results released Nov. 5.
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
The District 10 race is one of two this election cycle that will see a new representative elected in Austin, with incumbent council member Alison Alter set to leave office next year. Business owner and consultant Duchen squared off against legislative director and former teacher Ganguly in the race to succeed Alter this year.
Duchen said he'd approach issues like budgeting and land-use through a lens of accountability and affordability, and prioritize his district constituents at City Hall. He's shared skepticism over the two-phase "HOME" initiative approved by the current council, the revised scope of the Project Connect transit system, and accountability related to Austin's work with homelessness. On city spending, he said he'd aim to launch audits, run through unspent bond dollars and closely track program metrics to keep costs down.
Ganguly pointed to the rapidly rising costs of homeownership in Austin as a priority to address amid the city's growth, with attention to affordability for senior and disabled residents. She supports citywide transit investments like Project Connect, and said the city should allow for more types of housing in varied locations including on transit corridors.
She's also said the city should prioritize hiring to fill its hundreds of vacancies—including at the police department through improvements to its cadet academy—work to expand its parkland and preserve the district's historic Lions Municipal Golf Course, and coordinate with local emergency service agencies and utilities on disaster response plans.
