OAKLAND — Special elections for flashy political jobs usually invite an especially crowded field of candidates — and that is proving no different as a growing list of names emerges to replace Sheng Thao as the mayor of Oakland.
But current and former City Council members, perennial candidates and political insiders pondering runs for the city’s top elected office may quickly exit the conversation if a progressive heavyweight, Rep. Barbara Lee, adds her own name to the mix.
Lee has publicly declined to even hint at whether she’s considering a mayoral run and had vocally opposed the recall of Thao, who last week conceded defeat in a recall election that will remove her from office by the end of this year.
Behind the scenes, however, local political figures have been courting the 78-year-old congresswoman, who is said to be weighing her options upon retiring from Congress this year, a post she has held since 1998.
“She’s getting calls from people who want her to run — and she’s thinking about it,” former Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente said of a phone conversation he had with Lee.
The progressive veteran lawmaker is a living trivia answer for being the only member of Congress to oppose the use of military force following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
While representing a district also including Alameda, Berkeley and San Leandro, she remains somewhat involved in Oakland’s municipal affairs, vocally criticizing the A’s for leaving town and speaking at a downtown rally last year by teachers on strike from the city’s schools.
“We want somebody for mayor who could bridge the business and labor communities, someone who has experience working in different levels of government and could bring those relationships to the table,” said Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, who said he spoke on the phone with Lee in recent days about issues affecting the city.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, right, with BART board member and Cal State trustee Lateefah Simon, who’s running for her seat, at Lee’s Super Tuesday election night gathering in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Local leaders were hesitant to speak at length about the congresswoman, wary of the perception that they would be seen as pressuring a reluctant candidate into running — which is how former Rep. Ron Dellums’ mayoral tenure is often remembered.
Others have said Lee has become more open to the idea after Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump in the presidential election, extinguishing any chance of Lee being appointed to a cabinet position.
Meanwhile, some early confirmed candidates to succeed Thao have already made clear they would drop out of the race if Lee enters it, including De La Fuente, who said it would be “almost impossible” to overcome Lee’s name recognition. Another is lobbyist Isaac Kos-Read, who worked for Dellums and former Gov. Jerry Brown during their respective tenures as the city’s mayor.
“I think she has the history, gravitas and relationships to unite our city at this critical time,” Kos-Read said.
Former Councilman Loren Taylor, who finished a close second-place to Thao in the 2022 mayoral race, said in an interview he’s running to fill the role no matter what.
The notion of a Lee mayor campaign may bring back memories of Brown and Dellums, two political powerhouses in California who led Oakland after serving in much higher-profile posts. Returning from larger stomping grounds to run one of the state’s most diverse cities is not always the smoothest transition, political experts have said.
Dellums in particular drew criticism for the perception that he was an absentee mayor who struggled to lead the city through the Great Recession — a legacy recorded by most news obituaries when he died in 2018.
Representatives for Lee, who worked for Dellums in Congress and later succeeded him in office, did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee speaks during a rally by the Oakland Education Association representing Oakland Unified School District teachers on their first day on strike at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
All of this could be a moot point within the coming weeks if Lee doesn’t run, leaving the post of Oakland mayor to be fought over by a number of familiar names.
In addition to Taylor, Kos-Read and De La Fuente, prospects for the job include Councilmember Carroll Fife, who said she is open to a run after winning re-election to her office, and Allyssa Victory, a former mayoral candidate whose ranked-choice vote transfers helped Thao emerge victorious in 2022.
The Oaklandside reported that among the additional suitors are Derrick Soo, a former unhoused resident who dropped out early from the last mayoral race, and Mindy Ruth Pechenuk, an avowed supporter of Trump and an acolyte of the late far-right political leader Lyndon LaRouche.
Victory, an ACLU attorney who is discussing a run with friends and family, said she could find reasons to remain in the upcoming race even if Lee were to join in on the fun.
“Such a hard-hitting and longstanding leader is still going to need a ranked-choice voting strategy,” Victory said.
Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland. Call or text him at 510-905-5495 or email him at shomik@bayareanewsgroup.com.