Mayor reports big campaign fundraising numbers, but his challengers push on

Monday is the deadline for all City Council candidates to turn in their campaign finance reports for the period that ended on June 30. Politics watchers expect Mayor Kirk Watson to raise far more than his opponents as he has in the past. So it was not surprising when he announced Tuesday that his reelection campaign had raised more than $710,000 between mid-April and June 30.

Watson also issued a press release noting that he had added 1,068 new public supporters in addition to the 60 current and former local elected officials backing his reelection.

“With three challengers and four months to go until Election Day, we’re kicking our campaign into high gear to earn a victory in November,” he said.

Watson has three opponents so far: Kathie Tovo, Doug Greco and Carmen Llanes Pulido.

Llanes Pulido told the Austin Monitor she had a preliminary estimate of $91,000 so far. When she announced that she would be a candidate for the job in January, she said she was running against Watson because his leadership led to wasteful spending, inadequate planning and “frankly a mindset for a much smaller city.”

On Wednesday, she said of running for office, “It’s been an exciting and highly rewarding experience so far. It’s inspiring to see people across town from such diverse backgrounds get together to run a grassroots campaign based on sheer enthusiasm for good governance, accountability and great care for our city.

“I know I will be outspent by our incumbent, but I feel incredibly rich when it comes to people power,” she said. “There are so many volunteers and creatives who are stepping up to get our name out there and to activate waves of people you don’t often see in the political inner workings of Austin, but who regularly contribute to the vibrant culture here. We will continue to raise money to amplify the message while leveraging our connections to various networks across the city.”

Neither of the others were ready to reveal their fundraising numbers but put out statements criticizing Watson.

“My opponent’s fundraising total is not surprising; it’s a bit of a slower pace compared to when he ran in 2022,” Tovo said. “As we saw last time, he raised $1.8 million from developers and lobbyists who have benefited from his decisions at City Hall, but money doesn’t buy votes. He barely won then, and he’s facing significant opposition now.”

She added, “I won’t allow big money to define this race, and voters shouldn’t either. Citywide, Austin voters are backing me because they want a mayor who puts people first, is committed to transparent government, will deliver community-led solutions for our city’s most pressing challenges, and who has a track record of effective, independent leadership at City Hall.”

Greco sent the following statement to the Austin Monitor: “Our campaign continues to build support and momentum, and is raising the money needed to get out our message on improving the lives of working people and fighting back on Greg Abbott’s attacks on civil rights. Kirk Watson’s time has come, as a lifelong politician he has failed to solve Austin’s affordability problem and refuses to stand up to the Republican leadership’s assaults on Austin’s values.”

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