Post by Admin on Nov 4, 2021 3:44:43 GMT
Michelle Wu, a Democrat, became the first woman and person of color to be elected mayor of Boston, The Associated Press projected Tuesday.
Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, defeated fellow Democrat Annissa Essaibi-George, ending the city’s 200-year history of electing white men. Acting Mayor Kim Janey became the first Black woman to hold the seat after Marty Walsh, who had served as mayor since 2014, resigned in March to become President Joe Biden’s labor secretary.
“One of my sons asked me the other night if boys can be elected mayor of Boston. They have been, and they will again some day, but not tonight,” Wu told supporters Tuesday night. “On this day, Boston elected your mom because from every corner of our city, Boston has spoken.”
“We are ready to meet this moment. We are ready to become a Boston for everyone,” she added. “We are ready to become a Boston that doesn’t push people out, but welcomes all who call our city home. We’re ready to be a Boston where all can afford to stay and to thrive. And, yes, Boston is ready to become a Green New Deal city.”
Among a particularly diverse field of candidates, Wu remained a front-runner, maintaining a wide margin in the polls against Essaibi-George — a fellow city councilor who identifies as Arab American — leading the race by 30 points just days before the election, according to a survey by Emerson College. All the major candidates in September’s preliminary election — Andrea Campbell, John Barros, Janey, Wu, and Essaibi-George — were also people of color, and four of five were women.
Wu, who made history in 2016 as the first Asian American to serve as president of the City Council and was favored by the city’s progressives, secured several key endorsements during her campaign, including from both of the state’s U.S. senators, Elizabeth Warren — with whom Wu studied law at Harvard — and Ed Markey. She also received backing from Janey and Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, defeated fellow Democrat Annissa Essaibi-George, ending the city’s 200-year history of electing white men. Acting Mayor Kim Janey became the first Black woman to hold the seat after Marty Walsh, who had served as mayor since 2014, resigned in March to become President Joe Biden’s labor secretary.
“One of my sons asked me the other night if boys can be elected mayor of Boston. They have been, and they will again some day, but not tonight,” Wu told supporters Tuesday night. “On this day, Boston elected your mom because from every corner of our city, Boston has spoken.”
“We are ready to meet this moment. We are ready to become a Boston for everyone,” she added. “We are ready to become a Boston that doesn’t push people out, but welcomes all who call our city home. We’re ready to be a Boston where all can afford to stay and to thrive. And, yes, Boston is ready to become a Green New Deal city.”
Among a particularly diverse field of candidates, Wu remained a front-runner, maintaining a wide margin in the polls against Essaibi-George — a fellow city councilor who identifies as Arab American — leading the race by 30 points just days before the election, according to a survey by Emerson College. All the major candidates in September’s preliminary election — Andrea Campbell, John Barros, Janey, Wu, and Essaibi-George — were also people of color, and four of five were women.
Wu, who made history in 2016 as the first Asian American to serve as president of the City Council and was favored by the city’s progressives, secured several key endorsements during her campaign, including from both of the state’s U.S. senators, Elizabeth Warren — with whom Wu studied law at Harvard — and Ed Markey. She also received backing from Janey and Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley.