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.

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.

Carmen Llanes Pulido requested a recount in the Austin mayoral race, trailing Mayor Kirk Watson by a thin margin.

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.

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.

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

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson declared victory on his social media pages on Thursday, November 14 after the last batch of unofficial ballot tallies were released.

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.