Austin city mayor runner-up concedes to Kirk Watson

AUSTIN, Texas - The runner-up for mayor of Austin conceded one day after calling for a recount.

In a statement, Carmen Llanes-Pulido said, "I have decided to lay down the pursuit of a recount and bring a close to my mayoral campaign."

RELATED: Austin city mayor runner-up calls for vote recount

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.

You can read Llanes-Pulido's full statement below:

"After a long two weeks of changing results, news alerts, dozens of legal opinions, and my own team's cost-benefit analysis of re-examining the results of this incredibly close election tally (barely a dozen votes between us and a runoff), I have decided to lay down the pursuit of a recount and bring a close to my mayoral campaign.

It's time to turn my attention to what is in the absolute best interest of the constituents of Austin. The goal of this campaign was always to get us more accountable and community-driven leadership in our municipal government. I was fortified by my community to step up and become Austin's first Tejana mayor, first L.B.J. Jaguar mayor, the first woman to hold the role in 40 years, but more importantly, a leader who would help return us to a more caring and people-centered government.

After this historic and tumultuous election, and an impending period of uncertainty, complexity, and volatility, it's more important than ever that we conserve our energy and invest in loving our communities into collaboration and ingenuity. It's time for us to find zones of alignment in the context of divergent perspectives. We will need this more than ever, and we will need to be well to do it.

I always knew that challenging the biggest career politician in Austin's Democratic party with a war chest 10-15% as large as his, was no small undertaking. I'd never have entered this race without a groundswell of community who not only told me I could do it, but that I must do it, so we could change the conversation. And we did.

We sliced apart the myth that we can solve a housing crisis by tearing down affordable apartments and homes to build expensive, commercial midrises and short-term rentals. We challenged the industry-backed narrative that irresponsible, unaffordable redevelopment is good policy for anyone but a few wealthy investors and the politicians they fund.

We brought new definition and nuance to what it means to feel safe in Austin and to address the homelessness crisis through root-cause solutions that reduce harm. We made it clear who we are talking about when we lift up the frontline workers and first responders who make this city work for everyone. And we educated people about their right to a government that responsibly stewards resources for transportation and basic infrastructure.

We revealed that a lack of transparency is expensive to all of us, and that across incredibly diverse perspectives, there is a hunger to co-create better policy that improves the quality of life for all of Austin.

And most importantly, we proved something transformative with this campaign: That we can run a grassroots operation that not only breaks records with volunteer power, but creates a space for inclusion, connection, and community base-building. We built a campaign with the power to heal toxic dynamics and build a longer-term vision that includes the voices of everyone who contributes to Austin's rich culture.

I am so incredibly proud of us. I am endlessly and eternally grateful to the volunteers, my small but extraordinary staff, dozens of mentors, the other candidates, and all of the enthusiastic voters who made this Austin story one to watch. I will never know how much people chipped in; I'll never be able to thank everyone. But I thank you for sticking with us. This is not the end; it's the first crest of a wave to build, re-build, and transform a political movement from a place of love and integrity.

In the coming weeks, I'll be spending time with family and loved ones and enjoying this gorgeous weather as I get ready to enter my fifth decade of life. And I'll be right back to organizing, which truly is my life's work. I'm so excited to do it with thousands of new connections, new knowledge of issues, and new reasons to be grateful to call this place home.

Thank you, Austin. Let's keep it real.

Carmen"