OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS RADIO) – Oakland city councilmember Loren Taylor stopped short of claiming a victory in the 2022 mayoral election Tuesday night, but maintains a lead into Wednesday afternoon.
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Taylor, who currently has 53% of the vote, was unable to declare himself the winner Tuesday as there are still a portion of votes that have yet to be counted. His closest competitor, city councilmember Sheng Thao, has 47% of the vote.
Taylor addressed his supporters at his watch party in Oakland. "It is too early to declare victory and I'm not doing that tonight because we in Oakland, we believe in a fair, open, transparent election process. We are confident that every vote will be counted and we look forward to still receiving the positive affirmation that we know is coming our way," he stated.
Taylor said he believes it could take several days for the final outcome of the race to be officiated due to Oakland's ranked choice voting system that can slow the tally.
At the watch party, his supporters danced and cheered with his early lead Tuesday night. "I see my city changing for the worse and I think Loren can restore what Oakland used to be," resident Peter Ross told KCBS Radio. "I think he has the experience, I think he has the support of the people and I think he has the spirit to get it done."
The victor will succeed current Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff.
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