David McDonald leads Williamson County commissioner runoff

David McDonald had a strong lead following early voting results against Jeff Mayes in the Republican runoff for Williamson County Commissioner Precinct 2. Whoever wins the race will eventually become the new commissioner because there is no Democratic opponent in November. McDonald had 65.7% of the vote while Mayes received 34.3%, according to early voting results. The winner will replace Cynthia Long who decided not to run for reelection after serving almost 20 years. McDonald, 57, is a retired Austin police officer and a transportation consultant. He served on the Leander City Council from 2022-2025. Mayes, a 47-year-old political newcomer, is a commercial real estate broker and a former high school agricultural teacher. There is a runoff because neither candidate won at least 50% of the vote in a three-way race for the Republican primary on March 3. McDonald received 3,736 votes, or 46.1%, in the March 3 primary, while Mayes had 5,837 votes, or 29.5%. A third candidate, Rupal Chaudhari, received 3,100 votes, or 24.4%. Both McDonald and Mayes have agreed that the major issues facing the county include rising property taxes and congested roads. McDonald has said the county needs to adequately fund public safety and maintain current infrastructure. Mayes has said water planning hasn't kept pace with the county's growth and the county needs to focus on transparency and efficiency. If elected, McDonald has said he wants to be accessible to residents, steward taxpayer dollars, support public safety and find alternative solutions to toll roads. Mayes has said his goals if he wins the runoff are to build infrastructure that keeps up with growth, protect taxpayers through responsible budgeting and defend property rights. County commissioners in Texas serve four-year terms and act as the governing body of the county by setting policy, adopting budgets, getting roads built and establishing tax rates. Precinct 2 includes Cedar Park, Leander and Liberty Hill, along with part of Anderson Mill and part of Austin, and a large unincorporated portion of western Williamson County stretching to the Burnet County line.