Incumbent mayor Elihu Harris opted against running for a third term.[10]
Brown entered what was already a crowded mayoral field in late October 1997, instantly becoming the race's frontrunner.[10] A poll published in The Montclarion right before he formally entered the race had showed Brown garnering 47% in a hypothetical race.[10]
Brown identified himself to be an independent, having declared himself to have left the Democratic Party.[11]
Brown ran under the campaign slogan "Oaklanders First".[11] He campaign actively, holding many events.[11]
Brown was the only white candidate running in the race.[11] Oakland was and still is a majority minority city.[12] Brown won a majority of the black vote.[8]
Brown was heavily anticipated to win the election.[11]
While Oakland had a weak mayor form of government, Brown was also campaigning to change this. He supported Measure X, a measure on the ballot in November 1998 which would change the city's model of government to a strong mayor for a period of 6 years. Ultimately, in November, Oakland's electorate voted by a landslide margin of 3 to 1 in support of Measure X, switching the city to a strong mayor system of governance prior to Brown taking office.[13][14] Years later, in 2004, a referendum permanently extending Measure X later was passed, after failing to pass in 2002, making permanent the city's shift to the strong mayor model of governance.[14]
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