LEANDER, Texas -- What was being hailed as the most civil election this rapidly growing Austin suburb has seen in recent memory quickly turned contentious in the runoff.
Incumbent Becki Ross faces challenger Pulla Reddy Yeduru in the runoff election for Leander City Council Place 6. Early voting continues through Tuesday, June 11, with runoff election day Saturday, June 15.
The total number of voters so far is under 600 -- a low turnout in early voting for the final of three elections in a month's time for the city (local election, primary runoff, and now local runoff) while the nation seems exclusively focused on the November presidential contest.
With a narrow four-vote victory for Mike Herrera over incumbent Esmeralda Mattke Longoria on May 4 in Place 2, the balance of power shifted on the seven-member Council from majority Democrat-favored Council members (see images below) to conservative and Republican-affiliated. A $12,000 recount paid for by Longoria's campaign in late May did not change the final outcome.
With that kind of money being spent and the stakes now noticeably higher, the likelihood of the runoff remaining as congenial as the regular election seemed low, as the incumbent has since proven.
Change is now a constant
Leander, located about half an hour northwest of downtown Austin, has traditionally been a small, conservative community. The last decade has seen a population boom, bringing the city's residential size to an estimated 91,000. Williamson County, where most of Leander's population is centered, is Republican-held despite recent Democratic Party gains in the southern portion of the county closer to reliably blue Austin. Local liberals often vote Republican to curry favor with Williamson County officials, to influence the primaries, and for other reasons. As such, a mix of liberal Republicans, conservative Republicans, and liberal-to-moderate Democrats have taken seats on the officially non-partisan Leander Council in recent years, changing the political dynamics of the city. Battles over density, apartments, water, and even Drag Queen Story Hour have entered the once sleepy suburb's policy dialogue. Endorsements from local developer and real estate PACs were as-divided among the candidates.
Four conservative candidates formed a slate later in the regular election season including Herrera, Yeduru, Andy Hogue in a five-way mayoral race, and Monica Roussel-Methena as the Place 4 challenger. The quartet received endorsements from the Travis County Republican Party (a growing portion of Leander is south and southwest of the Williamson-Travis county line) in addition to scattered conservative nods from across Williamson County.
On election night, Democrat-affiliated candidates (again, see images below) held on to the mayor's seat and Place 4. Republican-affiliated Herrera took Place 2, giving the Council a narrow 4-3 conservative majority. Two fire and emergency referenda also appeared on the May 4 ballot, drawing supporters from the left and right alike. Turnout hovered around 10 percent.
Now one race remains to be decided on June 15. If Yeduru wins Place 6, that would mean a 5-2 majority for the conservatives and the ability to circumvent the Democrat-supported Republican Mayor Christine DeLisle and solidly Democratic Place 4 Council member Na'Cole Thompson.
Opening salvo
Ross, shortly before the May 4 election, began addressing "the opponents" in social media videos and criticizing their motivations for running -- fair game since the challengers were criticizing the status quo. Now Ross is coming in hot against Yeduru. She signed the Code of Fair Campaign Practices which means a candidate agrees he or she will voluntarily avoid "scurrilous attacks" and slams on the character and personal integrity of their opponents. However Ross began releasing social media videos accusing Yeduru of favoring "friends" who wish to start businesses in Leander. Yeduru denied that was the case.
Yeduru, who also signed on to the code, fired back. His campaign released a video asserting that Ross had voted to deny the voters of Leander a chance to vote on whether or not to continue the city's controversial contract with CapMetro, which provides MetroRail and bus services to the city. Ross had previously (and apparently) said she did not deny voters a chance to vote on retaining the mass transit contract. (Watch Yeduru's video here via Facebook or by clicking the image below.)
Ross's supporters' defense was that since the vote resolution "was going to pass anyway," she went ahead and voted against giving the choice to the voters. Others have pointed out she is the Council's liaison to CapMetro and was expected to vote against sending it to the ballot. Voters ended up retaining CapMetro by a large margin in November 2022.
Then came an attack mailer from Ross this week:
In the mailer, Ross states she is "the real Republican" with union endorsement graphics on the reverse side. She claimed a longer voting history when compared to Yeduru, an immigrant from southern India. According to campaign statements, he became a U.S. citizen in 2021 and could not vote before then. Ross lists the incorrect years for each Republican primary she voted in -- laying out odd-numbered years, instead. For example, the 2024 Primary was listed as "2023," and so forth.
The Tracker notes that Ross was endorsed by local Democrats in the May 4 election and campaigned with the two Democrat-endorsees according to graphics being distributed during the campaign:
Neither campaign has responded to Ross's mailer at the time of writing.
Still anyone's race
On May 4, Yeduru pulled in 39.5% of the vote compared to Ross's 44.7%. Challenger Anna Yelaun garnered 15.8%, also on the conservative side of things. The top two qualified for the June 15 runoff under Texas law, which began June 3.
If Yelaun's supporters break for Yeduru then that's more than enough to put Reddy over the top. However, summer elections bring many challenges including altered family schedules, vacation plans, and Central Texas's notorious humidity and heat combo. With low voter turnout (and burnout) this race will boil down to which campaign can get the most voters to the polls, with person-to-person appeals likely being the main driver.
How to vote
WILLIAMSON COUNTY VOTERS: Early-vote Monday, Tuesday and Saturday at the Leander Library, 1011 S. Bagdad Road. Hours and more info at https://www.wilcotx.gov/185/Elections
TRAVIS COUNTY VOTERS: Vote Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday at either Christ Episcopal, 3520 W. Whitestone Blvd. (FM 1431), Cedar Park, or the Airport Road voting office in North Central Austin. Hours and more info at https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/current-election-information/current-election
Disclaimer: The author was the runner-up for Leander Mayor in the May 4, 2024, election and supports Yeduru.
