Just a day after conceding the May 2 New Braunfels mayoral election to Michael French, incumbent Neal Linnartz will get a second chance at keeping his job.
In a surprise statement this evening, the City of New Braunfels said it was notified by legal counsel of a conflict between the City Charter and the Texas Constitution that invalidates election results.
Linnartz and French now face a runoff election.
The mayoral race must be decided by a majority vote.
City Attorney Valeria Acevedo said that Article XI, Section 11(b) of the Texas Constitution requires that when a term of office exceeds two years, members of a municipality’s governing body must be elected by a majority vote. The term of office for the New Braunfels mayor is three years.
The Constitution supersedes local law.
“Once this conflict was fully analyzed, it became clear that proceeding to a runoff is the legally required path forward,” she said.
Unofficial results from the May 2, 2026 election showed that Michael French received the most votes at 3,667 votes (49.18%), Neal Linnartz received 2,852 votes (38.25%), Angela Allen received 815 votes (10.93%), and John Frazier received 122 votes (1.64%).
Since no candidate received a majority of the vote required by the Texas Constitution, the two candidates with the most votes will head to a runoff election.
Prior to the May 2 election, the City Charter was reviewed and it states that the mayoral election is decided by the candidate who receives the most votes (plurality of votes), regardless of whether that candidate receives a majority, the city said in its statement.
The City Charter specifies that City Council place positions must be decided by a majority vote.
French wasted no time blasting city officials on Facebook.
“Our current mayor has a bunch of lawyers that looked to the Texas Constitution to make sure and overthrow a fair election,” he posted on social media. “The City of New Braunfels, you have been cheated. Our current mayor signed this year a city ordinance 2026-05 tht the mayor will have a plurality vote and he’s going against is. This is a trump card because he knew they may not win.
“The city did not give me the common decency or courtesy to ever give me a phone call. The people of New Braunfels, you have been cheated.”
The city will coordinate with county election officials to schedule the runoff election for the District 6 City Council race and the Mayor’s race, in accordance with state law. Additional details, including dates and voting information, will be shared as soon as they are finalized.
“The City of New Braunfels remains committed to conducting fair and lawful elections and to maintaining the trust of the community,” officials said in their statement.
How did neil cheat if he conceded… Sounds like MAGA isn’t confident they can win unless they can manipulate the rules