A special election was held Tuesday to replace recalled Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. The winner may not be known for days or weeks thanks to slow counting and ranked choice voting, but as of today the more moderate candidate Loren Taylor has a small lead over the woke progressive in the race, Barbara Lee.
As of late Tuesday, former City Council member Loren Taylor held a narrow lead and neither candidate had secured a majority in a 10-candidate field. The tight margin all but guarantees the vote tally will stretch into the coming days as mail ballots are counted and could come down to voters’ backup selections under the city’s ranked choice system.
“We all know this is going to be a long week,” Lee told a crowd at an event space in downtown Oakland bedecked with yellow and green decorations — Athletics colors — that included cheerleading gear in a…
