Adena Ishii has pulled into the lead in the race to become Berkeley’s next mayor, according to the latest ranked-choice elections results by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.
Ishii holds a 1,100-vote lead over Berkeley City Councilmember Sophie Hahn, after taking more than half of the available votes from the third-place finisher, Councilmember Kate Harrison.
The Berkeleyside reported that less than 20,000 ballots – about two-and-half percent of the total number – remain to be processed by election officials. There is no indication when final election results will be published.
If Ishii holds on to her lead, her election would be seen as an upset. A non-profit and educational consultant, who has never held public office before, Ishii focused her campaign on helping to find solutions to homelessness and housing, public safety, education and aging.
Hahn, a member of the Berkeley City Council since 2016, represents District 5. She had raised significantly more money than Ishii and Harrison. She was also endorsed by outgoing Mayor Jesse Arreguin and most of her colleagues on the council.
