Barbara Lee, the long-time Democratic U.S. Representative for California has won what turned out to be a hotly contested mayoral special election to determine who would replace Oakland’s disgraced former mayor Sheng Thao, between herself and Oakland city council member Loren Taylor.
According to SFGate, although Lee herself did not declare victory shortly after 5 P.M. on April 18, the San Francisco Chronicle called the race for Lee at roughly the same time that the former California representative posted on X.
Lee wrote that the results were “encouraging” before she touted the turnout for the race. “We are exceeding expected turnout for this special election, because the people of Oakland care deeply about our future. Democracy at work!”
The unofficial results from Alameda County, where Oakland is located, listed Lee’s lead as 52.7% to Taylor’s 47.3% after nine rounds of ranked choice voting, which is enough of a margin of victory for Lee to avoid a run-off and claim victory in the mayoral race. Lee will serve as Oakland’s mayor until the next election occurs in 2026.
Lee, who is 78 years old, was widely viewed as a lock to be named Oakland’s next mayor due to her progressive bona fides as an anti-war and civil rights minded legislator.
However, this changed when Taylor, who fashions himself as a “pragmatic progressive” entered the race, and it quickly became a race about their respective visions for Oakland’s future rather than their policies, they largely share positions regarding what Oakland needs.
According to The New York Times, Lee, who was largely viewed as an outsider while in Washington, was cast by Taylor as the candidate of the establishment. Meanwhile, Taylor earned an endorsement from the San Francisco Chronicle and repeatedly hammered home his message that “Oakland is broken” on the campaign trail.
Lee, for her part, amassed an impressive array of endorsements from the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, labor unions, four former mayors of Oakland, as well as seven of the eight members of Oakland’s city council; Jim Ross, a political consultant in Oakland who is uninvolved in the race, told the outlet that Lee’s endorsements are “the most impressive group of endorsements” that he can recall in a California mayor’s race.
According to The Oaklandside, Oakland’s Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins released a public letter on April 18 that congratulated Lee on her victory and looked forward to handing the reins of governing the city over to Lee.
“Your decades of tireless public service have long been a source of pride and inspiration for Oakland. From the halls of Congress to the heart of our neighborhoods, you have championed justice, equity, and opportunity for all. As you step into this new role, we are grateful that your unwavering commitment to our city will continue to shape Oakland’s future,” Jenkins wrote.
Lee’s reward for winning this race is dealing with a city that is filled with resentment and anger, according to Dan Schnur, a political analyst who also teaches at the University of California-Berkeley.
“Under any normal circumstances, the people of Oakland would be throwing rose petals at Barbara Lee’s feet, but these aren’t normal times,” Schnur told The New York Times. “The level of resentment and anger is off the charts.”
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