Adena Ishii takes victory as first woman of color to be Berkeley's mayor

Adena Ishii becomes first Asian American Berkeley mayor

After a tight race between Sophie Hahn and Adena Ishii for Berkeley mayor, Councilmember Hahn conceded Wednesday, leaving Ishii to take the spot to lead the city.

Berkeley, Calif. - After a tight race between Sophie Hahn and Adena Ishii for Berkeley mayor, Councilmember Hahn conceded Wednesday, leaving Ishii to take the spot to lead the city.

After the last voter results were dropped by the Alameda County Registrar’s Office on Wednesday, Ishii carried 51% of the votes, while Hahn took nearly 49% through rank choice voting.

The race has been a nail-biter since Election Day, when Hahn had the clear lead. As results trickled in, voters shifted in favor of Ishii, a sign Berkeley voters are looking for a change.

Hahn, who has more than a decade of experience in Berkeley politics, conceded after the results were released Wednesday evening.

Ishii, a nonprofit consultant who has never held public office, took the victory by about 1,000 votes in ranked choice voting and secured the highest number of first choice picks.

Ishii credited her campaign team, which knocked on more than 20,000 doors and put in a lot of hard work to reach voters.

"I’m just feeling incredibly grateful for my team and grateful for those folks who voted for me, and really just looking forward to getting started on this job," she said.

Hahn says she called Ishii on Wednesday to congratulate her, adding in a letter written to her supporters, "While it’s not the outcome we hoped for, I’m full of gratitude for the amazing support you’ve shown throughout, and proud of the 100% positive campaign we ran."

Co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley Eric Schickler said the results indicate another instance of voters across the state dissatisfied with the way things are.

"The election of somebody who's an outsider, who had not held any office in the city in the past, is at least a sign of voters being a little bit more interested in shaking things up or moving outside of the status quo," he said.

Schickler added, despite Ishii’s politics and ideologies not varying much from Hahn’s, she framed herself as a candidate with a fresh perspective.

"I think that kind of appeal evidently resonated with at least just enough voters for her to beat out someone who had obviously a lot of experience within city politics and governance," Schickler said.

Ranked choice voting explained: how it works and mistakes to avoid

Ranked choice voting could decide races in several Bay Area cities. KTVU spoke with the Director of Elections for San Francisco to help people understand how the process works and tips for filling out your ballot correctly.

Ishii will be the first Asian American and first woman of color to be Berkeley’s mayor. She said she will prioritize housing and homelessness, public safety, and infrastructure, which were issues she addressed in her campaign.

"I know that there's a steep learning curve when beginning any job, and I’m going to make sure that I have very strong advisers that will be helping me as I’m leading the city," Ishii said.

Hahn will finish her term on the city council on Dec. 3, a seat she’s held for eight years.

The next batch of results from the Alameda County Registrar’s Office will be released after the Thanksgiving holiday on Dec. 3, but the registrar said there are less than 5,000 votes left to be cured countywide, so the numbers are unlikely to dramatically change.

Ishii will be sworn in after votes are certified on Dec. 5.