Former Austin mayor Kirk Watson and state Rep. Celia Israel are headed to a runoff next month after neither candidate received more than half of the vote.
Four other candidates vied to be the next mayor in Austin, Texas' mayoral race: Anthony Bradshaw, Phil Campero Brual, Gary Spellman, and Jennifer Virden.
Polls closed in the state at 7 p.m. local time. Given the state has multiple timezones, the first polls closed at 8 p.m. EST and the last polls closed at 9 p.m. EST.
2022 General EmbedsAfter serving for two consecutive four-year terms, Democratic Mayor Steve Adler was term-limited and ineligible to run for a third time.
Israel is a member of the Texas House of Representatives, an office she's held since 2014. Housing and affordability were major parts of her campaign.
Watson, along with Israel, has considerable previous experience in politics: He's both a former Austin mayor and former state senator. His main priorities included addressing the city's rising cost of living, homelessness, systemic racism, and transportation.
Bradshaw, a political newcomer, largely focused his campaign on addressing equity.
Campero Brual, who is a legislative intern at the Texas State Capitol and a government and history student at the University of Texas, Austin, said he wants Austin to "no longer be a city represented by out of touch millionaires who pretend to understand the real struggles of the people living and working in Austin."
Spellman, a businessman and co-founder of Ultimate Face Cosmetics, ran for mayor to "represent those that don't see their values or priorities confined to strict party lines," per his campaign website. He said it's important to give voters an option of a purple party that "breaks down the silos to have dialogue that helps keep the city of Austin accountable for all citizens and inclusive of all voices."
Virden is a real estate broker and former Austin City Council candidate. On the top of her priority list were affordable housing, public safety, and homelessness.