Election News

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson appears to avoid runoff by 31 votes

Current Mayor Kirk Watson was reported to receive 50.01 percent of the vote.

Photo courtesy of KVUE

In addition to the presidential race, Texas Senate race and many others, voters in Austin had another major contest to consider: the race for mayor.

Current Mayor Kirk Watson appeared to narrowly avoid a runoff with 100 percent of precincts reporting him receiving 50.01 percent of the vote. With five candidates on the ballot, a single candidate needed to receive 50 percent of the vote, plus one vote, to not require a runoff. Watson has 50 percent of the vote plus 31 votes.

Watson delivered a speech on Tuesday night as he led the race against four challengers: former Austin City Council member Kathie Tovo, community organizer Carmen Llanes Pulido, interfaith organizer Doug Greco and construction company owner Jeff Bowen.

Here are the latest results:

Austin Mayor Last Updated: November 6, 2024, 12:44:22 am

Kirk Watson*: 50.01 percent (174,576 votes)
Carmen Llanes Pulido: 20.15 percent (70,336 votes)
Kathie Tovo: 16.64 percent (58,072 votes)
Jeffrey Bowen: 8.4 percent (29,308 votes)
Doug Greco: 4.81 percent (16,797 votes)
More Results » Vote Total: 349,089

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. And if he's reelected, he'll continue to serve as Austin's mayor until 2029.

In his campaign announcement, Watson said since starting his role 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.

If Watson is reelected, he said he wants to make climate change response more of a priority by closing down part of Austin Energy's Fayette Power Plant.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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welcome to texas

TikTok food critic Keith Lee has moved from Las Vegas to Texas

Keith Lee - Facebook

TikTok food critic Keith Lee is now a Texas resident.

Social media sensation and food reviewer Keith Lee has packed his bags and made the big move from Las Vegas to Texas.

The famous food critic "let the cat out of the bag" officially in a recent post on the social media platform TikTok, where he posts all of his restaurant reviews. But he'd already previously revealed that he and his wife, Ronnie, became homeowners in a different video posted in mid-October.

"Not only have those food reviews played a pivotal role in changing me and my family's life, over 150 families' lives across the nation in less than a year's time," Lee said in the video. "And on top of that, I just became the first person in an entire generation to own a house."

Though Lee didn't share which Texas city he and his family moved to, posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) tipped off that he'd moved to Dallas, while at the same time urging fans to give the guy some privacy.

"If you’ve met Keith Lee in Dallas recently don’t be weird and post what area," one X user wrote. "He’s still human & he’s new here. Let’s not ruin it."

Lee is no stranger to Dallas, after having spent a week in Dallas-Fort Worth in February 2024. He visited local restaurants like Brunchaholics, Thunderbird Pies, Halal Fuzionz, and more.

He also made a special visit to Taste Project in Fort Worth to donate $4,000 to support the nonprofit's mission to fight food insecurity.

In June, Lee swung back through Dallas to partner with Microsoft in a project called "The Reheat," to show how the tech company's AI products could help three Black-owned restaurants deal with business surges.

Most recently, Lee returned to Dallas to review the classic and buzzy food offerings at the Texas State Fair, such as a steak kabob, cotton candied bacon, turkey leg tacos, and much more. Maybe the State Fair is what clinched the win over Houston, which he visited in November 2023.

It doesn't look like Lee has reviewed many Austin restaurants, but he did review Terry Black's in Dallas. The barbecue restaurant is originally from Lockhart, just south of Austin. He visited because he says 10,000 people recommended it in a poll.

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