AUSTIN, Texas — Following a seven-point difference in the November general election in the race for Austin's District 6, Councilmember Jimmy Flannigan and challenger Mackenzie Kelly faced each other again Tuesday during the runoff election.
According to unofficial results from the Travis County Clerk's Office, Kelly defeated incumbent Flannigan with 52% of the vote (7,875), crowning her the winner for the seat on the dais. Flannigan received 48% of the vote (7,198).
This is likely a big upset for the Flannigan campaign considering he led Kelly with 40.22% of the vote in the November general election and Kelly finished with 33.44%.
During a virtual watch party, Flannigan told his supporters the work will go on.
"I am excited for the rest of my colleagues who I know will continue this work and the future council member who I hope does her best to represent this district with honor and brings the amazing and powerful voices I have come to love and appreciate that are in this district," he said.
Here are the Dec. 15 results:
Kelly describes herself as a northwest Austin native, mother, wife, ex-volunteer firefighter and public safety advocate.
She is the president of Take Back Austin, a local advocacy group aimed at "restoring common sense and community impact in our local governance" and "exploring common-sense solutions for the challenges we face."
Mackenzie is no stranger to the politics of the district, having run for the first election under the 10-1 plan in 2014. She finished with around 9% of the vote.
Kelly wants to lower runaway property taxes and reduce regulatory burdens on Austin's business community, keep Austin safe by fully funding law enforcement and she wants to reverse Austin's homeless camping ordinance.
On Tuesday night, Austin Mayor Steve Adler tweeted a thank you to Flannigan for his service representing District 6.
He also congratulated Kelly on her win.
Following her win, Kelly released the following statement:
"From standing courageously behind our law enforcement community to demanding safer conditions for our homeless population to fighting for transparency at City Hall, the voice of Northwest Austin has been heard. Considering the stark differences between my campaign's priorities and the platform of the incumbent, their united voice is resoundingly clear this evening! I am honored to be the next representative for District 6 on the Austin City Council and will work immediately to begin healing the divisions in our community."
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