Oakland special election to select new mayor still too close to call

Loren Taylor maintained his slim lead Wednesday over former congresswoman Barbara Lee in the special election to select Oakland's next mayor, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters' Office.

Taylor was ahead of the nine other candidates on the ballot with 51.17% of the vote after nine rounds of ranked-choice voting Wednesday morning.

Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee was in second place with 48.83% of the vote.

The results were preliminary, and the next updated vote tally isn't expected until Friday, but Taylor said Wednesday that he's confident his lead will hold up.

"We're feeling good about where we are and we're cautiously optimistic that things will stay with what we've seen and we'll maintain the advantage in the next update," he said.

Waiting out the results of a close election isn't new for Taylor, who lost a nail-biter to former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao in 2022 after being ahead in early returns.

"Having been through this before I realize there are things that are within our control and things that are not," Taylor said. "It feels different from before, we feel as though we will be able to maintain this lead."

A spokesperson for Lee said her campaign is looking forward to the next vote update.

“With ranked choice voting, we know counting will continue as more ballots come in," said Lee spokesperson Stephanie Ong. "This is democracy at work and every vote counts. This is a critical election for Oakland."

Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the vote count or when Oaklanders can expect final results.

The special election became necessary after former mayor Thao lost a recall election in November. Whoever wins will serve out the remainder of her term -- through January of 2027.

Lee, who served as the city's U.S. congressional representative from 1998 to 2025, and Taylor, a former city councilmember and founder of the well-connected political advocacy organization Empower Oakland, have long been considered the favorites in the race.

Taylor previously ran for mayor against Thao in 2022 and narrowly lost the election to her by less than 700 votes after nine rounds of ranked-choice voting.

A third-generation Oaklander, Taylor has a master's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Connecticut and a master of business administration degree from University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

In addition to her career in Congress, Lee also served in the California State Assembly for 6 years and the state Senate for two. She earned an undergraduate degree from Mills College in Oakland and a master's degree in social work from UC Berkeley.

The other candidates on the ballot include President Donald Trump enthusiast Mindy Pechenuk and frequent entrant Peter Liu, former Olympian/comedian and barista Elizabeth Swaney, former Thao advisor Renia Webb, Bay Area Council vice president Suz Robinson, a woman named President Cristina Grappo -- who describes herself as a "provider" on her official ballot designation, paralegal Tyron Jordan, who said he suspended his campaign to support Lee, and union factory worker Eric Simpson.

To see the full election results, visit alamedacountyca.gov.