Oakland voters say tight mayoral race came down to experience versus upstart energy

As a months-long and sometimes contentious Oakland mayoral campaign ended Tuesday, voters in the special election chose between two familiar faces: former Rep. Barbara Lee, who spent 26 years in Congress representing Oakland and a broad swath of Alameda County, and Oakland-born Loren Taylor, who spent four years on the City Council, in a race that pushed campaign spending past $1.5 million.

For voters polled Tuesday, the race came down to experience versus fresh energy.

“I went with...