Mayor-elect Barbara Lee says opponent conceded race

(KRON) – Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee has announced that her opponent, Loren Taylor, has contacted her to concede the election Saturday morning. 

Lee said in a statement, “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.”

The Mayor-elect called the city of Oakland “deeply divided,” and she plans to “unite” the community. 

Lee, 78, is a trailblazer who represented the city in Congress for over two decades before retiring last year after running unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. The Democrat has been the only Black woman elected to the House from California’s regions north of Los Angeles.

“I will do the hard work and make the tough decisions, knowing that we will all be doing this together,” said Oakland’s next mayor. “Finally, Oakland’s elections are based on a ranked choice voting system, and there were other candidates in the race who also put their visions forward. I congratulate all who did so, and thank you—the community we serve—for participating in this historic election. While the challenges are many, the opportunities are great. Let’s ‘Love Life’ in Oakland.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.