Kirk Preston Watson (born March 18, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 59th

mayor of Austin The mayor of Austin is the official head of the city of Austin in the U.S. state of Texas. The office was established in 1840 after Austin incorporated as a city in 1839. The mayor of Austin is elected to a four-year term and limited to serving ...

since 2023, previously holding the office as the 54th mayor from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he ran unsuccessfully for

Texas attorney general The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer
of the

in the 2002 election, where he was defeated by Republican

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...

, later

governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

. In 2006, Watson was elected to the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

from

District 14 A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

. In 2011, Watson was chosen by his Democratic colleagues to chair the Senate Democratic Caucus and served until 2015. On the first day of the

86th Texas Legislature The 86th Texas Legislature began on January 8, 2019, and adjourned four months later on May 27, 2019. All members of the House and Senate were elected in the 2018 general election. House of Representatives Members of the Texas House of Repr ...

, he was chosen by his colleagues—Democrats and Republicans—to serve as president ''pro tempore''. The position typically goes to the most senior member, regardless of party, who has not yet served as president '' pro '', and is second in line of succession to the Governor. It was announced by the ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The distribution of the following ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', '' ...

'' that Watson had planned to resign from the Texas Senate to become the first dean of the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

's Hobby School of Public Affairs. His resignation was effective April 30, 2020. With incumbent Mayor Steve Adler not seeking another term, Watson entered the race to become Austin mayor for a second time. He was elected for his second stint as mayor in the

2022 Austin mayoral election The 2022 Austin mayoral election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the next Mayor of Austin, mayor of Austin, Texas. The election was Nonpartisan blanket primary, nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations did not appear on the ballot. I ...

runoff with 50.4% of the vote. Watson was reelected in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, narrowly avoiding a runoff by 13 votes.

Early life and education

Watson was born in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

and raised in

Saginaw, Texas Saginaw is a small city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and an inner suburb of Fort Worth. Its population was 23,890 in 2020 census. Saginaw is a home rule municipality. History The town was renamed Saginaw in 1882 by Jarvis J. Green ( ...

, a suburb of Fort Worth, where he attended

Boswell High School Boswell High School is a public secondary school in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is part of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District, and serves students in grades nine through twelve. Fine Arts Boswell High School has the ...

. He received a bachelor's degree in political science in 1980 and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

in 1981 from

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

Waco Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making i ...

, Texas. At

Baylor Law School Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and has been a member of the Associa ...

, Watson was editor-in-chief of the ''Baylor Law Review'' and graduated first in his class. He subsequently clerked for the

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * ...

Early political career

Watson was elected president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association in 1990 and served on the executive committee of the

State Bar of Texas The State Bar of Texas (the Texas Bar) is an agency of the judiciary under the administrative control of the Texas Supreme Court. It is responsible for assisting the Texas Supreme Court in overseeing all attorneys licensed to practice law in ...

. Watson was an active Democrat throughout the 1990s and served as the chairman of the Travis County Democratic Party. In 1991, Watson was appointed by Governor

Ann Richards Dorothy Ann Richards (née Willis; September 1, 1933 – September 13, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A Democrat, she first came to national attention as the Texas State Treasurer, ...

to serve as chairman of the Texas Air Control Board, the state agency that was charged with protecting air quality in Texas. During his tenure, he worked to merge the agency with the

Texas Air Control Board The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the environmental agency for the state of Texas. The commission's headquarters are located at 12100 Park 35 Circle in Austin. The fourth-largest environmental agency in the United States ( ...

and the Texas Water Commission to form the

Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the environmental agency for the state of Texas. The commission's headquarters are located at 12100 Park 35 Circle in Austin. The fourth-largest environmental agency in the United States ...

, and oversaw implementation of the 1991 amendments to the federal Clean Air Act. In 1994, he was named the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas. In 1997, Watson co-founded the Austin law firm of Watson Bishop London & Galow, creating a broad law practice that represented families, doctors, small businesses, and some of the state's major universities.

First term as Mayor of Austin (1997–2001)

In 1997, after Watson moved from Rollingwood to Austin, he was elected as the 54th mayor of Austin, a nonpartisan position. He ran on a pledge to build consensus in a city that was then dominated by political battles between environmentalists and developers. He campaigned to raise more than $78 million for land preservation and $300 million for transportation improvements. Watson's signature accomplishments as mayor included the transformation of Downtown Austin into a "24-hour downtown" by encouraging development of housing and retail in place of vacant warehouses and parking lots, partially through

tax incentives A tax incentive is an aspect of a government's taxation policy designed to incentivize or encourage a particular economic activity by reducing tax payments. Tax incentives can have both positive and negative impacts on an economy. Among the po ...

and the city's

Smart Growth Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl. It also advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood ...

initiatives. In 1999, Watson spearheaded a redevelopment project along several blocks of waterfront property in Downtown Austin, in an effort to create a new public-private "digital district" in place of dilapidated warehouses and businesses including the former Liberty Lunch, which were demolished. Watson, along with architect

Larry Speck Lawrence Speck is an American architect and professor. He is a senior principal with Page architects and a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the W. L. Moody Centennial Professorship in Architecture. He is one of the ...

, courted the

Computer Sciences Corporation Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) was an American multinational corporation that provided information technology (IT) services and professional services. On April 3, 2017, it merged with the Enterprise Services line of business of HP Ente ...

(CSC) by offering a $10.4 million tax incentive to anchor two office buildings on the site in lieu of building their planned campus in a

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

, and under the condition that CSC foot the bill for a new city hall building. The first two buildings were constructed and are now part of the Second Street District, while CSC vacated the premises before following through with the construction of the present-day Austin City Hall. In 2000, Watson spearheaded a $15.1 million tax incentive for

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

to build a new headquarters in Downtown Austin; Intel stopped construction and the unfinished building was demolished in 2007 and replaced by the

Austin United States Courthouse The Austin United States Courthouse is a federal courthouse in downtown Austin, Texas. Built between 2009 and 2012, the building houses the Austin division of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and other federal ...

. In 2000, Watson was reelected with 84% of the vote – the highest percentage a mayoral candidate has ever received in Austin. In November 2001, he stepped down to run unsuccessfully for

Texas attorney general The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer
of the

in the 2002 election, losing 41% to 57% to now-Governor

. In 2005, he served as chairman of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Texas Senate (2007–2020)

Watson was elected to the Texas Senate in November 2006, succeeding Senator Gonzalo Barrientos. He received more than 80% of the vote. Watson was unopposed in the March 2006 Democratic Primary. He took office in January 2007. Watson served as vice-chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security committee, as well as on the Senate Business and Commerce, Economic Development, Jurisprudence, and Nominations committees. In 2008, he was appointed as one of two senators to the state Business Tax Advisory Committee. Watson has become a prominent voice on transportation, clean energy, and higher education issues, and he has campaigned to widen transparency in the state's finances and increase health coverage for Texans, particularly children. In 2009, he led the fight against a budget rider that would have effectively banned embryonic stem cell research at Texas universities. The rider ultimately was not adopted. Watson served on many committees including the

Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) is the federally mandated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) responsible for comprehensive transportation planning in the Austin, Texas, US area, including Williamson, Travis, ...

(CAMPO), of which he is the former Transportation Policy Board Chairman. CAMPO is federally designated as the primary transportation planning organization in Central Texas. The July 2007 ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...

'' magazine recognized Watson as "Rookie of the Year" for the 2007 session of the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

. In 2009, the magazine named him one of the state's 10 Best Legislators and referred to him as "the

Galápagos penguin The Galápagos penguin (''Spheniscus mendiculus'') is a penguin Endemism, endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. It is the only penguin found north of the equator. Most inhabit Fernandina Island and the west coast of Isabela Island (Gal ...

of the Texas Legislature." He also was given the Price Daniel Award for Distinguished Public Service by the Baylor Alumni Association, and the Excellence in Leadership Award by

Concordia University Texas Concordia University Texas is a private university in Austin, Texas, United States. The university offers undergraduate, Graduate school, graduate, and online degrees as well as an adult degree program for part-time and returning students. Conc ...

. Watson endorsed Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in the

2008 Democratic party presidential primaries From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party chose their nominee for President of the United States, president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illi ...

. Following Obama's victory in the 2008 Wisconsin Democratic primary election on February 19, 2008, Watson appeared via live feed on

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

's election night coverage as a supporter of Senator Obama. He was asked by

Chris Matthews Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American political commentator, retired talk show host, and author. Matthews hosted his weeknight hour-long talk show, ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'', on America's Talking and later on M ...

to name one of Senator Obama's legislative accomplishments. Watson was soon after excused, and Matthews commented, "He atsonis here to defend Barack Obama and he had nothing to say; that's a problem." Watson considered running in the 2010 gubernatorial election, but decided in August 2009 to instead seek re-election to the Texas Senate. In June 2013, Watson moved to overturn a ruling designed to end the filibuster of Senator Wendy Davis. Together, their efforts averted the passage of SB5, a bill that its opponents claimed would enact severe abortion restrictions in Texas. Instead, in a second special session the same bill was passed (96 to 49) by the Texas House, and then (19 to 11) by the Texas Senate, and then signed into law by Gov. Perry less than a month later. State representative Charles "Doc" Anderson of Waco (Texas HD 56) told reporters following the Davis filibuster that the additional special session might "cost taxpayers more than $800,000." Another news organization estimated special-session costs at roughly $30,000 per day. In the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

on November 6, 2018, Watson easily won reelection, 274,122 (74.1%) to 96,355 (25.3%) for his Republican opponent, George W. Hindman. A Libertarian Party candidate, Micah M. Verlander, held another 10,838 votes (2.8%). In 2019, Watson proposed a series of money-raising maneuvers to fund the lane expansion project along

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexico–Uni ...

through Austin, including doubling the state gas tax, raising vehicle registration fees in Travis County, enacting a special sales tax, and issuing bonds. Watson resigned from the Texas State Senate on April 30, 2020, to become the first dean of the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs. Watson resigned from the University of Houston after less than 1 year to become a candidate for mayor.

Texas highways

Much of Watson's first year in office was spent mediating a long, very bitter dispute on the CAMPO board over highway improvements in the Austin area. While many of the improvements had been in transportation plans for years, they had never been constructed. A lack of transportation funding, affecting projects across Texas, had led previous boards to support plans that would toll the additional capacity as well as nearly completed projects, sparking intense opposition throughout the region. Upon being elected chairman by the rest of the board in January 2007, Watson led the effort to keep the controversial projects in the region's transportation plan. He then spearheaded a public effort to create a process that would allow policy makers and the public to analyze the need for transportation projects, mechanisms to pay for them, and potential public benefits from them. On October 8, 2007, the CAMPO board overwhelmingly approved a plan to add new toll lanes to several existing highways ( U.S. Highway 290, U.S. Highway 183, and State Highway 71). Most of the improvements were approved on a 15-4 vote, and none were opposed by more than five board members.

Second term as Mayor of Austin (2023–present)

Election

Watson declared his candidacy for the 2022 mayoral election. In the November 8 general election, he advanced to a runoff election against Celia Israel. On December 13, 2022, Watson won the runoff election with 57,346 votes (50.39%) to his opponent Israel's 56,460 votes (49.61%).

Tenure

Watson was sworn in a second time as mayor of Austin on January 6, 2023. Shortly after beginning his second term as mayor of Austin, Watson led an effort to terminate city manager Spencer Cronk, who was fired in a 10-1 vote by City Council. The decision came following the city's handling of communications and response to the winter storm, which resulted in long-term power outages for thousands of city residents lasting up to 12 days, and the City Manager's decision to announce a four-year contract with the Austin Police Association — against the wishes of City Council to vote on a one-year contract amid negotiations and a May election over police oversight. The council appointed Jesús Garza — a previous city manager during Watson's previous tenure as mayor, and manager of the Stand Together Austin

political action committee In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The l ...

that supported Watson's mayoral campaign. As interim city manager, Garza focused on improving basic city operations and replaced the General Manager of Austin Energy, the CEO of Austin's airport, the head of emergency operations, and the assistant city manager overseeing public safety.

Public safety

In March 2023, amid staffing shortages, 911 response delays at the

Austin Police Department Austin Police Department (APD) is the principal law enforcement agency serving Austin, Texas. As of fiscal year 2022, the agency had an annual budget of $443.1 million and employed around 2,484 personnel, including approximately 1,809 officers. ...

, and a viral spree of street racing incidents in which cop cars were harassed with live fireworks, Watson reached an agreement with Governor

and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to deploy the

Texas Department of Public Safety Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and has an international border wi ...

troopers to patrol Austin, drawing scrutiny from some city council members who were left out of conversations prior to the announcement. Under Watson's tenure, response times at Austin's 911 call center improved, with operators answering 93.28% of calls within 15 seconds in November 2023 compared to July 2023 when only 69.18% of calls in 15 seconds or less. On October 23, 2024, Austin City Council voted to approve a five year contract with the Austin Police Association by a vote of 10-1 with Council Member Zo Qadri casting the lone no vote. Previously, the Austin Police Association had been operating without a long-term agreement since September 2022, which had impacted their recruiting and retention efforts and had left the police department with over 300 vacancies.

Homelessness

In July 2023, Watson helped secure almost $65 million from the state of Texas for local community groups to expand emergency shelters and provide more resources for people experiencing homelessness. In addition, Watson also led the effort to add hundreds of shelter beds to Austin's homeless response system through the opening of the Marshalling Yard, the reopening of the Salvation Army shelter, and the expansion of the city's Northbridge and Southbridge shelters. In August 2023, Integral Care, Travis County's largest mental health provider, announced it was planning to eliminate several staff positions due to budget issues. Following the news, Watson immediately began to work with Integral Care and Central Health to find a stop-gap funding solution. On September 6, 2023, Central Health, voted to approve its 2024 budget with last-minute emergency funding to Integral Care. In part, due to the Integral Care funding situation, Watson signaled the need for an independent third party review of homelessness services across the City of Austin, Travis County, Central Health and Integral Care. In his newsletter, Watson argued that "part of our problem is that we’ve developed a bad habit of seeking funding for programs without establishing how we’ll ultimately judge success. We’re too often measuring progress simply by how much we’re spending, not by the actual results of that spending. Focusing on the money may create the appearance of great effort, but it’s not helping us to get ahead of the challenge." The effort was thwarted by the Travis County Commissioner's Court in February 2024. The Commissioner's Court took issue with the selection of the consulting firm

Mckinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...

to conduct the audit as well as a belief that the money for an audit could be used in better ways.

Housing

For decades, efforts to reform Austin's

land use planning Land use planning or ''Land-use regulation'' is the process of regulating the Land use, use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient resource u ...

policies faced strong opposition from some homeowners and established neighborhood associations, who feared reforms would upset their own neighborhood character— forcing unwelcome changes in the makeup. The last time Austin had a significant change in the code was in 1984. The movement to reform land use policies in Austin gained traction in recent years because of the city's dramatic population growth and rise in housing prices, coupled with a comparatively low housing stock, and the elections of several pro-housing candidates to the

Austin City Council The Austin City Council is the unicameral legislature of the city of Austin, Texas, United States of America. The mayor is included as a member of the council and presides over all council meetings and ceremonies. The current mayor of Austin is ...

in 2022. In an interview with the

Texas Tribune ''The Texas Tribune'' is a nonprofit politics and public policy news website headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. Its stated aim is to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events. ''The Texas Tr ...

in 2023, Watson signaled that the new Austin City Council would approach land use reform differently than previous ones: "We've got a supply and demand problem, and we're going to have to come up with unique and different ways than we've thought of in the past to solve it." On December 7, 2023, Austin City Council took the first steps to reform housing policies by passing several new code amendments— including giving homeowners more freedom and the ability to build an additional unit on their lot. In the spring of 2024, Austin City Council will consider more reforms including encouraging more transit-oriented developments, reducing the 5,750-square-foot minimum lot size in residential areas, and loosening compatibility rules. Watson faced criticism from some property owners who strongly opposed any changes in the land development code that would allow for more density, citing concerns about neighborhood character and worries about increased gentrification. Reform advocates argue that under the current land development code, gentrification and displacement have already accelerated. Research by NYU's Furman Center suggest that policies which constrained the housing supply may have unintended consequences for communities including environmental costs from a dependency on automobiles, growing suburban and rural sprawl, and increasing inequality.

Project Connect

In November 2020, Austin voters overwhelmingly approved dedicating a portion of the City's property tax rate to fund

Project Connect Project Connect (listed as Proposition A on the general election ballot) is a transit expansion program by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) in Austin, Texas, U.S. The program was approved by voters on November 3, 202 ...

, Austin's multibillion-dollar improvement and expansion plan. This voter-approved funding included light rail, an expansion of rapid bus routes, and anti-displacement funds. In the 88th Texas legislative session, Republican legislators Representative

Ellen Troxclair Ellen Troxclair is an American small business owner and politician who is a member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 19. A member of the Republican Party, Troxclair was the youngest woman ever elected to the Austin City Council, ...

and Senator

Paul Bettencourt Paul David Bettencourt (born October 20, 1958) is an American politician and businessman based out of Houston, Texas, who serves as a Republican member of the Texas State Senate from District 7. On January 13, 2015, he succeeded state Senator Da ...

filed several pieces of legislation specifically targeting Austin's voter-approved propositions, including the effort to kill Project Connect. Watson worked with lawmakers in the Texas House to keep Project Connect alive from a last-minute senate amendment by Bettencourt that would have killed its financing. In November 2023, a small group of residents including former state senator Gonzalo Barrientos, Travis County commissioner Margaret Gómez, former Austin Council member Ora Houston, former city council candidate Susana Almanza, and hamburger restaurant Dirty Martin's filed a lawsuit to halt the Project Connect's funding mechanism. The plaintiffs found support in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who issued a court filing challenging the validity of Project Connect's funding mechanism. In response to the plaintiff's lawsuit, Austin Transit Partnership, the local government corporation tasked with implementing Project Connect filed a bond validation petition in the Travis County District Court. The petition expedites a determination from an impartial court to affirm ATP's bond program. The bond validation trial is set for May 28, 2024.

Comments on the 2023-present Israel-Gaza conflict

On October 8, 2023, Watson released a statement after the events of October 7 in Israel. In the statement, Watson wrote, "My heart breaks for the people of Israel. I stand with them, and I condemn the terrorist acts." The next day he attended a pro-Israel event, titled "We Stand with Israel" hosted by Shalom Austin and the Israeli-American Council, along with congressman

Lloyd Doggett Lloyd Alton Doggett II (born October 6, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Texas since 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Doggett was a member of the Texas Senate from 1973 to 1985 and a just ...

and Texas governor Greg Abbott. Watson spoke at the event, held at the Dell Jewish Community Campus, wearing a ''

yarmulke A (plural: ''kippot''), , or is a brimless Jewish skullcap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish men to fulfill the customary requirement that the head be covered. It is the most common type of head-covering worn by men in ...

''. A coalition of several religious groups,

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

student groups, and the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation and the

Jewish Voice for Peace Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP; ) is an American Jewish anti-Zionist and left-wing advocacy organization. It is critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign ag ...

have asked Watson to issue a statement supporting a ceasefire and the

Palestinian people Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous ...

. In a statement responding to the stabbing of Zacharia Doar at a pro-Palestine rally in February 2024, Watson supported the Austin Police Department's determination that it was a

hate crime Hate crime (also known as bias crime) in criminal law involves a standard offence (such as an assault, murder) with an added element of bias against a victim (individual or group of individuals) because of their physical appearance or perceived ...

. In the same statement, he pivoted to comment on a proposed resolution by the Austin City Council supporting a ceasefire in

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...

, saying in part of a statement, "The proposed resolution of the Austin City Council will not realistically end the violence on the other side of the globe. Nor will it stop federal taxes from being used to implement U.S. foreign policy. That is not in our power. The resolution, however, has the power to divide Austin — and will."

Electoral history

2022

2018

2014

2012

2010

2006

2002

2000

1997

A majority is usually required to win a mayoral election in Austin, and if no candidate receives more than 50% in the general election, a winner is usually determined in a runoff election. However, on May 5, 1997, two days after the general election, candidate Ronney Reynolds, a two-term council member, withdrew from the runoff resulting in Watson's election as mayor.

Personal life

Watson is married to Elizabeth Ann "Liz" McDaniel and is the father of two sons.

Notes

External links

Kirk Watson's Campaign Website
Archived November 7, 2012. *''Follow the Money'' - Kirk Watson
200620042002
campaign contributions * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Kirk 1958 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century mayors of places in Texas 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century mayors of places in Texas 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature Baylor Law School alumni Democratic Party Texas state senators Lawyers from Austin, Texas Lawyers from Oklahoma City Mayors of Austin, Texas Politicians from Oklahoma City Presidents pro tempore of the Texas Senate