Live Results: April 15 State Legislative and Oakland Mayoral Special Elections

We're following four special elections Tuesday. Voters in Oakland will elect a new mayor after the prior one was recalled. There are also legislative special contests in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Mississippi.

Oakland, California Mayor

Oakland is the 45th largest in the United States, with a population of about 436,000. That is for the city itself, not the metropolitan area.

Democrat Sheng Thao (D) was recalled in November. While it was not the only factor driving the vote, Thao's home was raided by the FBI last summer, and she was subsequently indicted in January.

Nikki Fortunato Bas (D), then a city councilwoman, succeeded Thao. Fortunato Bas had won a seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in November, so she only served as mayor until taking that seat on January 6. City Councilman Kevin Jenkins (D) has been serving as interim mayor since. He is not running in the special election.

The nonpartisan ballot is crowded, with 9 candidates looking to serve through the next regular election in November, 2026. However, most of the focus is on former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12) and Loren Taylor, a former City Councilman. Taylor finished as a runner-up to Thao in the 2022 mayoral election.

Lee was seen as the frontrunner for much of the campaign, but the more centrist Taylor has gained considerable traction. Taylor has surpassed Lee in fundraising, and received the endorsement of the San Francisco Chronicle. Per the New York Times, "Mr. Taylor’s momentum serves as the latest indication that residents in the liberal San Francisco Bay Area are giving greater emphasis on quality-of-life concerns than before."

This election was conducted largely by mail, although election day vote centers and ballot drop boxes are open until 11:00 PM Eastern Time. Any ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Tuesday, and will be counted if received on or before April 22.

This election will be decided via a ranked choice tabulation if no candidate gets a majority of the vote. Given the closeness of the race and the number of candidates in the race, that seems like a likely outcome.

The table immediately below will update with the 1st choice totals.

On the ballot, voters can rank up to five candidates in order of priority. If needed, the ranked choice tabulation functions as an instant runoff, eliminating a candidate in each round, until one candidate has a majority. In 2022, with a similar number of candidates on the ballot, the maximum number of rounds were needed to determine the winner.

It is our understanding that Alameda County may conduct a preliminary ranked choice tabulation at the end of election night, based on the ballots counted to that point. If that information becomes available, it will appear below. While this tabulation will mathematically put a candidate over 50%, it may not be sufficient to declare a winner, as there will still be uncounted ballots.

Massachusetts State House District 6th Essex (Primary)

Democrats dominate the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The party holds 132 of 160 seats. There are 25 Republicans, one independent, and two vacancies. Members serve two-year terms; the next regular elections are in 2026.

Democrat Jerry Parisella resigned from District 6th Essex at the beginning of the year, after being nominated as a District Court judge. He won reelection in November by a 71% to 24% margin over his GOP challenger.

Two Beverly City Councilors - Hannah Bowen and Todd Rotondo - are competing to succeed Parisella. The winner will face Republican Medley Long in the May 13 special general election. 

Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

Minnesota State Senate District 6 (Primary)

Democrats hold a narrow 34-32 advantage over Republicans in the Minnesota State Senate. There is one vacancy. All seats will be up for a four-year term in 2026.

In District 6, Republican Justin Eichorn resigned in March after being indicted. Eichorn was in his first term, winning by a 64% to 36% margin in 2022.

There are eight candidates on the Republican ballot. The winner will meet Democratic nominee Denise Slipy in the April 29 special general election. 

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

Mississippi State Senate District 18

Republicans have a large 35-16 majority in the Mississippi State Senate. There is one vacancy. Members serve four-year terms; the next regular elections are in 2027.

The prior District 18 incumbent, Jenifer Branning, was elected to the State Supreme Court in November. She resigned in January. Branning was unopposed for reelection in 2023.

There are five candidates on the nonpartisan ballot. If no candidate gets a majority, the top two finishers will meet in a May 13 runoff.

Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

Upcoming Scheduled Elections

• May 3
  • Texas Mayors: San Antonio, Forth Worth, Plano, Garland 
• May 6
  • Ohio Mayors (Primary): Cincinnati and Toledo
  • Ohio Infrastructure Ballot Question
• May 20
  • Pittsburgh Mayor (Primary)
• June 10
  • New Jersey Gubernatorial Primary
• June 17
  • Virginia Gubernatorial Primary
• June 24
  • New York City Mayor Primary

Upcoming Special Elections

• April 22
  • Connecticut State House District 113
  • Mississippi State House Districts 23 and 82 (Runoffs)
• April 29
  • Iowa State House District 78
  • Minnesota State Senate District 6
• May 3
  • Louisiana State House District 67 (Primary)
    • Top-Two General Election June 7 (if needed)
• May 6
  • New Hampshire State House District Strafford 12 (Primary)
    • General Election June 24
• May 13
  • Alabama State House District 11
    • Runoff (if needed) June 10; General Election August 26
  • Massachusetts State House District 3rd Bristol (Primary)
  • Mississippi State Senate District 18 (Runoff, if needed)
  • Oklahoma State Senate District 8
  • Oklahoma State House District 71 and 74 (Primary runoffs)
    • General Election June 10