Boston’s Historic Mayoral Race Led By Four Strong Female Candidates
Boston’s Historic Mayoral Race Led By Four Strong Female Candidates
All eyes may be on the NYC mayoral race, but another big mayoral race is heating up just a few hours north in Boston. While Boston’s mayoral race may not include as many big names as NYC’s, it has one of the most diverse candidate pools in the city’s history.
In March, Kim Janey became Boston’s first woman and first Black mayor when she took over for Marty Walsh. Janey joins a crowded field of mayoral hopefuls as she aims to secure a full-term in office in November. Six mayoral candidates –– four women and two men –– are vying to become Boston’s next mayor in this historic moment in Boston.
Unlike some of the NYC candidates (cough Andrew Yang cough), all six of Boston’s mayoral candidates have government experience, with all four women running coming from Boston’s City Council.
Both male candidates, Jon Santiago and John Barros, are also government officials. Santiago serves as a state representative and Barros works as Boston Chief of Economic Development.
The Boston mayoral election also differs from NYC in that women are dominating the polls and in fundraising. Acting Mayor Janey and City Councilor Michelle Wu are leading early polls, though many voters remain undecided, WBUR reported in April.
Boston voters will vote for the next mayor in a preliminary election on September 14 to narrow down the field to two candidates. The general election will take place on November 2.
To help Boston voters learn more about their candidates, Pero Make It Newsy will be highlighting the four female candidates running to be Boston’s next mayor.
Kim Janey (Roxbury resident) has, perhaps, the biggest name recognition among all candidates as the acting mayor of Boston. Janey came into office when the previous mayor Marty Walsh was tapped as President Joe Biden’s new Secretary of Labor. According to WBUR, Janey saw a fundraising rise since taking over City Hall, bringing in almost $163,000 in May.
The fourth-generation Roxbury resident has made plenty of moves since coming to office, most notably firing Boston police commissioner Dennis White and launching a pilot program to get 1,000 Boston workers prepaid Charlie Cards and Blue Bike passes. Mayor Janey has made the housing crisis and racial inequality two of her top issues while in office.
Michelle Wu (Roslindale resident) is also a big name in the upcoming election. Wu, who serves as an at-large city councilor, has received some big-name endorsements, including one by Senator Elizabeth Warren. She’s also captivated younger voters –– you can hop on the “Wu Train” on Tik Tok and other social media apps –– and was labeled Gen Z’s favorite politician by Refinery 29.
The child of immigrants, Wu is dedicating her campaign to making Boston more accessible for all communities. According to her campaign website, Wu says she’s reminded each day that there is an urgent demand to make the government as accessible and transparent as possible. If elected, Wu plans to tackle housing affordability, education equity, mental health and the racial wealth gap.
Andrea Campbell (Mattapan resident) has been the city councilor for District 4 since 2015. The Boston-native, who attended Boston Latin School and went on to become a lawyer, got a start in her government career as Deputy Legal Counsel in Governor Deval Patrick’s administration. She later became the first Black woman to serve as Boston City Council President. Like Wu, Campbell has more than $1 million in her campaign bank accounts and trails behind only Janey and Annissa Essaibi George.
According to her campaign, Campbell is dedicated to working on breaking cycles of poverty, trauma, and generational inequality.
Annissa Essaibi George (Dorchester resident), the other at-large city councilor, officially entered the Boston mayoral race in January 2021. The former school teacher, who was elected to the council in 2015, said she joined the race because she believes “in a Boston that sees inequality, everyday injustices, the wrongs, and tackles them head on.” Essaibi George is the daughter of Polish-German and Tunisian immigrants and was born in Dorchester.
A recent poll by the Bay State Banner found Essaibi George leading in the mayoral race, putting her ahead of Mayor Janey and Councilor Wu with 22 percent. If elected mayor, Essaibi George promises to build an economy that does not neglect Boston’s Black and Latinx residents. She also promises to root out inequality and dismantle racism in the city.
Boston voters can also learn more about the two male candidates: John Barros and Jon Santiago.