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ustin Mayor Kirk Watson has secured re-election, defeating four challengers with 50.1% of the vote, according to final precinct counts. He avoided a runoff by just 31 votes, according to KVUE. Watson's closest opponent, Carmen Llanes Pulido, received 20.4% of the vote.

    Watson took office early last year after serving as mayor from 1997-2001 and plans to continue addressing Austin's housing affordability issues in his next term. He pointed to recent changes to the city's land development code aimed at combating these issues.

    In related news, the Austin City Council delivered a win for YIMBYs (Yes In My Backyard) by voting to allow single-family homes on smaller plots of land and up to three housing units on land zoned single-family. Incumbents Vanessa Fuentes and Jose "Chito" Vela retained their seats in District 2 and District 4, respectively.

    In other council races, Mackenzie Kelly lost her re-election bid to Krista Laine for the District 6 seat, while Mike Siegel appears to have fended off five challengers for the District 7 seat. Marc Duchen won the closest council race against Ashika Ganguly in District 10, citing concerns about the land development code overhaul and its potential impact on displacement, property taxes, and green space.