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.

Llanes-Pulido pointed out that a slim margin of 12 votes was the difference from forcing a runoff election. She said her team determined a recount was not in her best interest. Kirk Watson will begin his fourth term as Austin's mayor, and will serve four more years beginning in January.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson celebrates a narrow election victory, securing another term with just over 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Carmen Llanes Pulido, the second-highest vote earner, didn't concede the race, saying it's still too close to call.

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.

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.

Llanes Pulido, who came in second to incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson, sought a recount after falling short of the threshold for a runoff election by just 14 votes.