The ballot counts released Thursday show Watson winning the five-way race outright by about a dozen votes. The outcome of the mayoral race has been unclear since the Nov. 5 election when unofficial final vote totals showed Watson had garnered 50.

Watson won the runoff in December 2022 and was sworn in as mayor of Austin for a second time on Jan. 6, 2023.

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.

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.

As challengers seek to claim the top seat on Austin's governing body, the incumbent's name recognition, money and wide appeal are posing obstacles.

AUSTIN - Five candidates battled it out for the position of Austin mayor. The incumbent, Kirk Watson, has been re-elected to the seat. Watson was mayor of Austin from 1997 until 2001. He then spent 13 years working in the Texas Senate.

Mayor Kirk Watson is defending his seat against four opponents. He needs to earn 50% of the vote, plus one vote, to avoid a runoff election in December.