AUSTIN, Texas — More than a week after Election Day, incumbent Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has declared victory.
Updated election results on Thursday showed Watson had narrowly avoided another runoff, claiming outright victory by securing more than 50% of the vote.
Results in Hays and Williamson counties could have forced Watson into a runoff election with the candidate who came in second place, which was Carmen Llanes Pulido. Results had been delayed due to provisional ballots that still needed to be canvassed.
The Texas Secretary of State’s Office says all results have to be canvassed by Nov. 19, which meant final numbers were expected by Tuesday.
Watson posted the following statement, in part, on social media after claiming victory:
“As of a few minutes ago, the ballots are all counted and I’m grateful to have been re-elected to serve a full four-year term in the mayor’s office.
I’m also proud to have won by a margin of over 104,000 votes – almost 30 percentage points.
I want to thank voters for their confidence in me, and for electing me to serve as Austin mayor for a 4th time. We knew that winning outright, with no runoff, against four opponents in a presidential year would be extraordinary. Well, we did it.”
Watson also stated that the last two years have been about getting back on the right track, but that his next four years are about charting a new course for Austin.
More on Kirk Watson
Watson officially announced his reelection campaign in April and filed his paperwork to appear on this year’s ballot in July. He has served his current term since the start of last year. He’ll continue to serve as Austin’s mayor until 2029.
In his announcement, Watson said since starting in 2023, he helped the city by adding housing reforms, filling empty positions within the Austin Police Department, launching the Austin Infrastructure Academy, and working to help the city’s homelessness concerns.
With another term, Watson wants to make climate change response more of a priority by closing down part of Austin Energy’s Fayette Power Plant.
In 1997, Watson was elected to his first term as Austin’s mayor. He was reelected twice and served until 2001. Watson was elected to the Texas Senate in 2006 and served as a state senator for 13 years before retiring to become the first dean of the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs.
In the November 2022 general election, Watson advanced to a runoff against former State Rep. Celia Israel in the Austin mayoral race. Watson won the runoff in December 2022 and was sworn in as mayor of Austin for a second time on Jan. 6, 2023.