Former City Councilmember Loren Taylor took a very slim lead in early results in Oakland's special mayoral election on Tuesday against former Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee in a race prompted by a series of recent scandals that culminated in the recall of the city's mayor in November.

OAKLAND — Loren Taylor, the former councilmember whose promise of more pragmatic leadership helped him measure up against the political power of the city’s labor unions, led retired Congresswoman Barbara Lee in a race to become Oakland’s next mayor, according to early returns Tuesday.

Loren Taylor was ahead of the nine other candidates on the ballot with nearly 49 percent of the vote in the first round of ranked-choice voting as of about 8:15 p.m.