Austin mayoral hopeful Carmen Llanes Pulido conceded to incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson late on Friday. The announcement came a day after Llanes Pulido filed a petition for a partial ballot recount that the city clerk deemed defective. Llanes Pulido ...

Kirk Watson has been reelected Austin’s mayor in a five-person race that nearly resulted in a December runoff. He will serve a full four-year term, leading a City Council that will retain the same pro-housing bent that enabled local leaders to pass a slew of land use reforms throughout the mayor’s first, shortened term.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson narrowly wins re-election without a runoff, beating challenger Carmen Llanes Pulido by just 14 votes.

Llanes-Pulido pointed out that a slim margin of 12 votes was the difference from forcing a runoff election. She said her team determined a recount was not in her best interest. Kirk Watson will begin his fourth term as Austin's mayor, and will serve four more years beginning in January.

Kirk Watson has declared victory in Austin’s 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.

Kirk Watson has officially won a new term as Austin's next mayor. Watson led his four challengers on Nov. 5, but did not have enough to claim victory outright. He had to win a majority of the vote, or 50% plus one vote, to secure a new term.

Pulido, the runner-up for mayor of Austin, conceded one day after calling for a recount. For 15 years, former Texas schoolteacher Kayla Morris put every dollar she could save into a home for her growing family.

Llanes Pulido, who came in second to incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson, sought a recount after falling short of the threshold for a runoff election by just 14 votes.