Former Rep. Barbara Lee Becomes New Favorite in Oakland Mayoral Special Election

Since her announcement last week that she would be running for Mayor of Oakland in the upcoming special election, former Congresswoman Barbara Lee has become the new favorite in the race, beating out former Oakland City Councilman Loren Taylor.

Following the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao in November, Mayoral candidates for the April special election came out of the woodwork. These have included Taylor, who lost to Thao in 2022, as well as economist Mindy Pechenuk, lobbyist Isaac Kos-Read, and fellow 2022 candidate Derrick Soo. Other’s who have shown interest include Councilwoman Carroll Fife and former NFL star and Governor Gavin Newsom’s podcast co-host Marshawn Lynch.

Up until last week, the biggest wild card remaining, barring some sort of eleventh hour entrance, was Lee. Lee, a Congresswoman since the late 90’s, had given up on reelection to run for the US Senate last year, only to lose embarrassingly in the March 2024 primary. She remained a lame duck Congresswoman until January 3rd, when she left office amidst buzz that the 78-year-old would next be making a run for Oakland Mayor. She remained non-committal towards running for weeks until Wednesday of last week.

In a press statement, Lee said that “Time and time again, Oaklanders have faced our toughest obstacles by uniting to meet our challenges. At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided, but a community united. If elected I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city, so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

Lee added in a post and video on X that she would address the homelessness crisis, renew trust in public safety, get tougher on crime and support mental health services while being fiscally responsible.

“Oaklanders have always overcome challenges by coming together,” continued Lee on X. “At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided, but a community united. With the support of Oakland Firefighters, business and labor leaders, and community I’ve made the decision to run for Mayor of Oakland – to unite our City; make it stronger and safer; and improve opportunity for everyone.”

Since last week, her popularity has jumped, making her the new candidate to beat in the race. As she has had a long history serving the city in Washington and decades of election experience, she has hit the ground running in terms of both support and a network in which to run. Many potential candidates who were planning to run in the event that Lee didn’t, even backed off on running after the announcement.

“This is exciting,” said lobbyist Isaac Kos-Read. “I really think she can bring us together.”

Criticism against Lee

However, Lee’s run is not expected to be easy. Opponents and detractors have pointed out multiple flaws, including the fact that Oakland has significantly declined during her time as a House member for the district covering the city, potentially giving pause to many voters. Her progressive policies are also at odds with many Californians, as proven by the 2024 election that saw a massive growth in Republican voters in California, as well as rare growth in both the Assembly and state Senate for the GOP.

Others, such as her fellow candidate Pechenuk, have said that Lee would not be able to stop the spread of fentanyl in Oakland, an issue that is a top priority for many in the city.

“If you want to stop Fentanyl from killing and destroying  Oaklanders of all ages, do not vote for Barbara Lee,” said Pechenuk on Monday. “Her record speaks volumes.  For example, as recently as May 25, 2023, then Congresswoman Barbara Lee disgraced herself and proved she is unfit to serve,, along with 131 other Democrats, voted against the passage of HR 467, Halt Fentanyl bill. 

“I stand firm to stop Fentanyl, other narcotic drugs, and human trafficking. Barbara Lee wants to legalize drugs that are destroying us. As your next Mayor, I will increase the number of police, open our police academies. Barbara Lee is a long time supporter of Defunding the Police. Our Oakland police are already doing what they can to deal with these matters, but their hands are tied by the ordinances of our City Council and Federal Oversight Commission. This needs to be reversed immediately.”

Alameda County pollster Nathan Martin added, “Lee has a strong base but has her progressive record, age, and track record too. She’ll most likely win, but she isn’t the shoo-in many believe she is.

“And not only that, the term ends in 2026 when she is 80. Will voters really want to re-elect her then? Two years is not enough time to really change things, so either she will be yet another caretaker Mayor, or she will want to run again, which next year is an even bigger question mark for her than this year. She may be popular now, but lets wait until those debates. She may doom herself like she did in the Senate race.”

The filing period for candidates is to end on Friday.