OAKLAND — New election results Friday showed Barbara Lee jumping out ahead of Loren Taylor in Oakland’s special mayoral race, a surge of momentum that placed her in a strong position with an unknown number of ballots left to count.
Later returns in the race appear to be steadily favoring Lee, the former longtime East Bay congresswoman, who faced a formidable challenge from Taylor, a one-time councilmember.
She now leads the race 52.6% to 47.3% in ranked-choice results, a difference of just under 5,000 votes. And Lee has a little over 50% of first-place votes to Taylor’s 45% — a majority that would give her the win outright if it held in the final election results.
The latest returns Friday reflected almost 46,000 new ballots, bringing the total number of counted votes up to nearly 95,000.
Alameda County officials said they have counted all votes received through Friday, though an unknown number of additional ballots are expected to arrive by mail through the weekend.
About 300 ballots that were improperly filled out before they arrived to the county election office will be “cured” and processed ahead of the final election results, county Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis.
The lack of clarity around how many votes remain unprocessed clouded any understanding on Friday of the true state of the election and its possible endgame.
The latest results maintained the lead held in an Oakland City Council race by Charlene Wang, who held 50% of first-place votes and appeared on the way to victory.
And voters appeared by approving a sales tax, Measure A, which had received just under 65% “yes” votes after Friday’s returns. The measure needs only a simple majority to pass.
Lee and Taylor, who are far in front of a 10-candidate field in the city mayoral race, have mostly been silent since election night — a palpable sign of the uncertainty surrounding the outcome.
Election officials are keeping Oakland’s political circles on edge. A new batch of results won’t be expected until next Friday, part of a process that Dupuis said helps his office tally votes faster.
Whoever wins will hold office until November 2026, the end of ex-Mayor Sheng Thao’s first term. Voters removed her from office in November, which left the city in a months-long leadership vacuum.
The council election, led by Wang, also features Kara Murray-Badal and Harold Lowe, who trail with 33% and 11%, as well as three other candidates.
If victorious, Wang would represent the city’s District 2, which spans Chinatown, Jack London Square and areas around Lake Merritt, including Eastlake and the San Antonio neighborhood. She leads Murray-Badal 59% to 40% in ranked-choice results.
Turnout for the citywide special election stood at 38% after Friday’s results.
Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland. Call or text him at 510-905-5495 or email him at [email protected].
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