Kirk Watson Narrowly Re-Elected as Mayor Without Runoff
Kirk Watson has declared victory in Austinâ€TMs mayoral race following the count of outstanding votes in Travis and Williamson counties this week. The incumbent appears to have won the election outright, avoiding a runoff in the five-way race, by less than two dozen votes.
Carmen Llanes Pulido, the second place finisher, has not yet conceded defeat. She told the that Williamson County still has votes to count today and she is waiting for those results before deciding if she will concede or challenge the results through a recount or in court.
"Given that results are unofficial at this point, and the margin is so small, I am waiting to see an official tally from the three counties to declare a position," Llanes Pulido said in a statement. "We owe it to Austinites who have made it clear that they want new and accountable leadership, to ensure that every single vote is accurately counted and every voice is heard."
As of now, then, Watson has won a narrow victory that he is selling to supporters as a much more commanding win. "Iâ€TMm grateful to have been re-elected to serve a full four-year term in the mayorâ€TMs office," Watson wrote in an email to supporters last night. "Iâ€TMm also proud to have won by a margin of more than 104,000 votes."
Itâ€TMs true that that Watson took in about that many more votes than Llanes Pulido, but the metric both campaigns have been tracking since election night , Nov. 5, was "50% + 1" â€" thatâ€TMs the threshold candidates in races with more than two candidates have to clear to avoid a runoff. By that metric, Watson has just squeaked by â€" clearing 50% of the total Austin vote (across Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties) by less than a tenth of a percent.
Still, Watson fending off four opponents â€" by whatever margin â€" to avoid a runoff is an impressive feat. Especially among a presidential electorate that is likely to have contained higher numbers of young, racially and economically diverse voters â€" the kind of voters who have, historically, preferred the demographics of some of his challengers (two women and an openly gay man).
Avoiding a runoff is not just important to the Watson campaign because it reflects a more decisive victory. It also prevents the mayor from having to campaign for re-election following Donald Trumpâ€TMs commanding presidential victory â€" which could be a unfavorable electoral environment for Watson.
