Barbara Lee claims victory in Oakland mayor's race after Loren Taylor concedes

The longtime progressive former Congresswoman Barbara Lee announced her victory Saturday in the special election to decide the next Oakland mayor after challenger Loren Taylor conceded.

Taylor on Saturday said he called Lee after the latest election update showed her ahead.

"This morning I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland," Taylor said in a statement. "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."

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters released the latest election numbers on Friday, and the update showed Lee was ahead of Taylor by almost 5,000 votes. According to the county registrar, Lee has 50.6% of the vote, and a candidate needs 50% plus one vote to win. The next election update will be on April 25.

"While I believe strongly in respecting the democratic voting process and ballots will continue to be counted through Tuesday, the results are clear that the people of Oakland have elected me as your next Mayor. Thank you, Oakland," Lee said in a statement.

District 7 Councilmember Ken Houston congratulated Lee Friday prior to Taylor's concession.

"She's humble. She's like, 'Wait till it's over,' which she should be. Me, I'm saying you can't catch up with 5,000 more votes, right, because the people spoke," Houston said.

Lee, a Democrat, represented Oakland in Congress from 1998 until stepping down in January. Last year, she also ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Senate seat of the late Dianne Feinstein. She previously served in the California State Assembly for six 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.

Oakland uses a ranked choice system. It allows people to vote for their first choice, but then list other candidates in order of preference. After the first count, if neither of the two leading candidates get more than 50% of the votes, they get to collect the "ranked" votes cast for them, in order, until one achieves more than half the votes.

Lee and Taylor were widely considered the frontrunners in the race, which featured a crowded field of 10 candidates. The race was triggered after voters recalled Sheng Thao from the mayor's office last year.