Barbara Lee Wins Oakland Mayoral Special Election

Former Congresswoman Barbara Lee has won the special election to become Oakland’s mayor, over former City Councilman Loren Taylor.

According to the updated results on Friday, Lee is now ahead in final round ranked choice votes over Taylor 48,855 votes to 43,860 votes, or 52.7% to 47.3%. This marked a major change from the initial results on election day when Taylor was ahead 24,347 votes, or 51.2%, to Lee’s 23,229 votes, or 48.8%. In a statement, the Registrar of Voters said that there was no official declared winner yet, as there are approximately 300 Vote by Mail ballots to be cured for signatures, with many more vote by mail ballots likely to come in on Monday and Tuesday.

While both candidates declined to make a judgement on the race after the results came in on Friday, they both declared on Saturday that Lee’s lead was insurmountable, leading Lee to declare victory.

“Oakland is a deeply divided City,” said Lee on Saturday. “I answered the call to run to unite our community, so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems.

“Now that’s what I call democracy working. That’s the voice of the people. We have to bring people here who understand the beauty and opportunities in Oakland and who will work with us to help us move this beautiful city forward.”

Taylor conceded the race shortly before Lee’s announcement, pointing out how close the race was.

“While the outcome was not what we worked for and hoped for, I am incredibly proud of the race we ran. Our campaign started as the underdog—most didn’t expect us to come this far or make it this close,” added Taylor. “We gained the support of nearly half the voting population despite having political insiders and labor unions spend heavily, spread lies, and rally against our efforts, and your hopes for the city. Thanks to the heart, grit, and vision of our fearless team and supporters, we built a movement that resonated across Oakland, echoing the national dialogue about the waning relevance of a Democratic Party that puts old-guard politics over improving the lives of everyday people. I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic results-driven leadership.”

While a few outlets began calling the race for Lee on Friday night, amongst them being the San Francisco Chronicle and The Hill, most outlets, as well as the official Registrar of Voters, opted to wait until the final votes came in and were tallied. However, Jackson’s concession and Lee declaring victory changed that early on Saturday, with Lee now the Mayor-elect.

While Lee wound up winning, Taylor’s March and April surge greatly dampened Lee’s expected easy coast to victory in Oakland, and highlighted just how divided the city is with establishment politicians. A Lee victory also puts her in control of a city that has gone through 3 Mayors since December, is currently facing a huge budget deficit, and is in the midst of both heightened crime and businesses leaving the city. In addition, Lee is now the first Mayor of the city since the 1960’s to govern the city without a professional sports team in it.

The updated results also showed a low turnout for other candidates besides Lee and Taylor, with only withdrawn candidate and Oakland Library Advisory Commission member Tyron Jordan and community activist and educator Mindy Pechenuk cracking the 800 votes threshold with 985 and 821 votes respectively.

Final results for the election are to be released next Friday, with all votes by mail being halted from being counted after Tuesday. Final results are to be released on the 25th, with Lee’s swearing-in to take place following that.