Less than 900 votes separated Kirk Watson from Celia Israel in the runoff election for Austin Mayor.
Israel, who is a former state representative, conceded the race last night. Watson is a former state senator and the former Mayor of Austin. He left his role as the Dean of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston to try and get back his old job.
Scant polling for the race showed that it would be tight. In the end, Watson’s margin was 886 votes. Watson’s term will be for two years until 2024. Previously, Austin voted to move their mayoral election to align with presidential elections.
There were also three races for Austin city council held yesterday. José Velásquez, Ryan Alter, and Zohaib “Zo” Qadri won their runoffs in districts 3, 5, and 9, respectively.
