[[link removed]]

BARBARA LEE WINS OAKLAND MAYOR’S RACE IN HER RETURN HOME  
[[link removed]]


 

Soumya Karlamangla
April 19, 2025
The New York Times
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ The former congresswoman, a progressive Democrat, campaigned on a
promise to unite residents in the beleaguered California city. Her
challenger, Loren Taylor, conceded on Saturday. _

Barbara Lee has represented Oakland in Congress and, before that, in
the State Legislature., Christie Hemm Klok for The New York Times

 

Barbara Lee, a progressive lawmaker known for her lone vote against
military force after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, won the mayor’s
race in Oakland, Calif., less than four months after she retired from
a decades-long congressional career.

Oakland, a city of about 436,000 residents across the bay from San
Francisco, has struggled to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic
shutdowns, and frustrated voters last year recalled Mayor Sheng Thao
after she had served less than two years in office. Ms. Lee, 78, was
seen in the city as a trusted and experienced voice who could
stabilize Oakland and help guide it out of crisis.

Her rival, Loren Taylor, a former member of the City Council who ran
as more of a moderate, conceded on Saturday after a dayslong
vote-counting process. Mr. Taylor, 47, had gained traction with his
detailed plan for improving Oakland, and appealed to voters who said
they were increasingly fed up with crime and governance problems in
the city.

In the latest vote tally, Mr. Taylor trailed Ms. Lee by more than
4,700 votes, a gap that is unlikely to be closed by the remaining
ballots. Mr. Taylor has received 45 percent of the vote and Ms. Lee 50
percent.

After Mr. Taylor’s concession, Ms. Lee said she would address the
most pressing problems in Oakland, working to unite a deeply divided
city. “I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility,
humility and love,” she said in a statement.

Mr. Taylor said he hoped that Ms. Lee would fulfill her commitment to
bring Oakland together by listening to those who had voted for him.

“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,” he said.

Ms. Lee will most likely take office in May and finish out Ms.
Thao’s term through the end of 2026.

Ms. Lee secured a diverse slate of endorsements from high-profile
groups and leaders, including the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, labor
unions, state legislators, four former Oakland mayors and seven of the
eight members of the Oakland City Council.

During the campaign, Ms. Lee emphasized that she would bring various
interests together to solve Oakland’s problems. She highlighted her
longtime relationships with state and federal officials, whom she
could call upon to come to Oakland’s assistance.

Ms. Lee represented Oakland in Congress for more than a
quarter-century and in the State Legislature before that. She gained
national fame as a progressive lawmaker and said she rejected the use
of force
[[link removed]] after
the Sept. 11 attacks because it gave the president too much war
authority.

Ms. Lee did not run last year for a 14th full term in the House
because she campaigned to replace Dianne Feinstein in the Senate. She
finished fourth in that race.

She joined the Oakland mayor’s race in January, after voters ousted
Ms. Thao in the first recall of a big-city mayor in a decade. Ms. Thao
was vulnerable not only because of the city’s woes — soaring crime
rates and a yawning budget deficit, among others — but also because
of an F.B.I. raid
[[link removed]] on
her home last summer as part of a corruption investigation that made
her political survival difficult.

SOUMYA KARLAMANGLA [[link removed]] is
a Times reporter who covers California. She is based in the Bay Area.

Subscribe to the NEW YORK TIMES [[link removed]]

* Barbara Lee
[[link removed]]
* Oakland
[[link removed]]
* elections
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]