Kirk Watson is holding his lead with a majority of votes in Austin's mayoral contest, based on preliminary early voting and Election Day results.
Travis, Williamson and Hays counties have reported almost 163,000 votes for Watson, representing a 50.51% share of the five-person race. Behind him are Carmen Llanes Pulido with 19.7%, Kathie Tovo with 16.79%, Jeffery L. Bowen with 8.28% and Doug Greco with 4.72%.
Watson's lead, if it holds, would see him avoid a December runoff election. Runoffs are triggered if the leading candidate earns less than 50% of the vote.
Watson wasn't ready to declare victory at an election night watch party Nov. 5. Pending a win, he said he plans to build on his first two years back at City Hall that he called "mostly been about getting us back on the right track," headlined by policy decisions he said have made Austin a national model for affordability.
"This two years has gone very fast, and while we’ve made big, big changes and we’ve made real progress, there’s still progress to be made," he said in an interview. "First of all, when it comes to affordability, we’ve made those big changes, we need to make sure we’re implementing those changes in the right way so that we don’t have unintended consequences and they’re actually doing the things we called on them to do.”
Watson also said he hopes to build on the city's support for workforce related to infrastructure, as well as stabilized public safety departments following the hiring of a new police chief, the approval of a five-year police labor deal, and the planned opening of a new police, fire and emergency medical services headquarters.
With an electoral win in 2024, Watson would become one of Austin's longest-serving mayors and one of just a few to be directly voted in multiple times.
Thomas “Peg Leg” W. Ward served three terms in the 1800s, but never for more than a year. And while Robert “Tom” Miller served for more than two decades across two terms, Watson noted he was appointed by city officials rather than elected.
“In modern times, this is the first time somebody has been elected two nonconsecutive terms directly by the people," Watson said. "I’m extremely grateful. I love Austin, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t. And the fact that the people have honored my by showing their confidence in me again is something I’m really grateful about.”
Posted 7:41 p.m. Nov. 5.
Incumbent Austin Mayor Kirk Watson could be headed for reelection, opening with a wide lead over his four challengers based on early voting results released shortly after 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Initial results show Watson in the lead with more than 152,000 votes, or 51.48% of early ballots cast in Hays, Travis and Williamson counties. He's followed by Carmen Llanes Pulido, executive director of Go Austin/Vamos Austin, who earned almost 19% of the early vote share.
Educator and former council member Kathie Tovo was close behind with just over 17% of the early vote, followed by construction services manager Jeffery L. Bowen with 8% and organizer Doug Greco with 4.57%.
All results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
Read Community Impact's mayoral candidate questionnaires here.
The context
Watson, Austin's mayor from 1997-2001 and a former state senator, narrowly won the 2022 runoff election to secure his return to City Hall for a shortened term. With mayoral contests now lined up with presidential elections, the winner in 2024 will serve a full four years.
In his first two years back in office, Watson presided over City Council's controversial revisions to single-family housing development rules and other land-use updates in a stated attempt to tackle Austin's affordability crisis. He's also backed improvements to the city's development review processes, secured local and state funding for homelessness initiatives, supported local workforce development programs, and promoted the newly-signed labor deal with the city's police force.
Watson drew criticism last year for partnering with the state on a Texas Department of Public Safety enforcement program in the city. He and the current council have also faced successful legal challenges this year over their handling of public participation and meetings at City Hall.
Llanes Pulido, a former city Planning Commission member, has run on her citywide advocacy work and experience with Austin's land-use regulations. She's opposed recent changes approved by City Council, and her housing platform features proposals tied to anti-displacement work and affordable housing preservation and development. She's also said she wants to improve equity for residents and improve transparency in city government, with other policy priorities including safety, homelessness, and climate.
Bowen, who sits on the Board of Adjustment, has also expressed skepticism with the current council's approach on housing. As a self-proclaimed political outsider, he's stressed a desire to see more transparency and resident engagement during major policy debates in addition to close reviews of city spending in areas like homelessness, equitable transit investments, and limited taxes.
Greco also made affordability a key piece of his campaign, with a focus on supporting Austin's workforce and lower-income residents, building more affordable housing, and limiting the role of institutional investors in the local housing market. He's been among the most vocally opposed to aspects of Watson's first term, including collaborations with conservative state leaders.
Two years after departing City Hall as a council member, Tovo ran on a mayoral platform stressing affordability for working families, a push for sustainability and support for public safety. She's also said her new policies would build on her previous political work related to transit, reproductive rights and child care.
Watson significantly out-fundraised and out-spent the four other candidates throughout this year's campaign, and has received further support from other local political organizations.
