Kirk Watson is a former mayor of Austin and a five-term state senator. As a senator, he was elected president pro tempore of the Senate and chair of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus. Watson was the founding dean of the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Policy. He attended Baylor University and Baylor Law School.
Celia Israel is a realtor and four-term Texas House of Representatives member from District 50 (Central Austin). She is a founding member of the Texas House LGBTQ caucus. Israel holds a degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.