Well, it did not take long after Friday's updated ranked-choice voting results for candidate Loren Taylor to concede his loss to former Congresswoman Barbara Lee, saving us from a drawn-out contest while Alameda County slowly tabulates votes.

Barbara Lee officially declared victory Saturday, saying, "The results are clear that the people of Oakland have elected me as your next Mayor. Thank you, Oakland!"

Lee added, "I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility, humility, and love. Oakland is a deeply divided City; I answered the call to run to unite our community, so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems."

Lee also appeared briefly at an Easter carnival Saturday at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center in East Oakland alongside Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins, as KQED reports, saying the transition would be "a moment of hope."

Lee had a five-point lead as of Friday in first-round votes over Taylor, and a six-point lead — 53% to 47% — after ranked-choice tabulations were made, with likely only a small number of votes left to be counted. That vote count was 94,893 out of a possible 250,800 registered voters, representing a 37.8% turnout, which was higher than expected for a special election in April.

Lee celebrated the turnout Saturday, saying, per KQED, "Now that’s what I call democracy working. That’s the voice of the people."

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters said Friday that it would continue counting mail-in votes this week, but it was clear that there were not enough votes left to county for Taylor to overcome the deficit.

Taylor had previously held a slim lead over Lee as of Election Night last Tuesday.

"We gained the support of nearly half the voting population despite having political insiders and labor unions spend heavily, spread lies, and rally against our efforts, and your hopes for the city," Taylor said in a concession statement over the weekend. "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."

Lee, 78, takes over as mayor in a time of significant turmoil in Oakland, following the recall of Mayor Sheng Thao last fall amid a corruption scandal that is continuing to unfold in federal court proceedings.

The city is also facing a historic budget crisis, a police department that is severely understaffed, and a small business community that is still reeling from the pandemic and a wave of rampant petty crime and vandalism.

Lee served as the House Representative for Oakland and other parts of Alameda County from 1998 until early this year. Prior to that she had served in the California legislature. She holds an undergraduate degree from Mills College in Oakland, and a master's degree in social work from UC Berkeley.  

Lee's term as mayor will only last through the end of 2026, and she will face reelection a year from November, if she chooses to run.

Top image: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) speaks during a news conference on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on September 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. House Democrats announced a resolution on emergency abortion care after the Supreme Court declined in June to issue a ruling on a case on the right to access to emergency abortion care. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)