Election Update: Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs Concedes To Kevin Lincoln
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs has conceded to challenger Kevin Lincoln.
The latest numbers show him trailing by more than 11,000 votes.
Tubbs made headlines becoming the city's youngest and first black mayor back in 2016. He won that contest by more than 70 percent of the vote. He's also been in the national spotlight and has had support from big names like president Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey.
On Tuesday, Tubbs released a statement saying, in part, "I am honored to have served as your mayor and I will continue to support the work needed to move our city forward."
Tubbs also congratulated Lincoln, wishing him the best as the new mayor.
"He [Lincoln] will need all of our support as we still have issues of poverty, education, health, and especially COVID-19 that must be addressed," Tubbs said in a statement.
Lincoln issued an acceptance statement Tuesday evening, thanking those who worked on to support his campaign.
"I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and will never forget the sacrifice so many made to get us here. I also want to thank those that took the time to share with me your vision for a better Stockton. This has been a long journey, and now it's time to get to work, putting those great ideas into action," the statement read.
He went on the acknowledge Tubbs's work in Stockton, writing, "I want to extend my appreciation to Mayor Tubbs for his eight years of service to our community. I look forward to collaborating with him on a smooth transition and hope he will continue to enrich our city with his ingenuity and passion for Stockton."
Earlier this month, CBS13 spoke to Lincoln about the close race. He said getting boots on the ground in the community helped his campaign.
"People started engaging more and more. And paying more and more attention and asking more and more questions and that was important for me over this last year was to really hear from the people of Stockton," he said.
Lincoln, a Stockton native, served in the Marine Corps and was assigned to Marine One, where he served President George W. Bush. After working for a private security company in Silicon Valley, he returned to Stockton in 2013 and has worked full-time for a local church.