Incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu and challenger Josh Kraft both advanced to the general election in Boston’s preliminary election Sept. 9, before Kraft dropped out of the race Sept. 11.
The election, in which incumbents took major leads, served to narrow down the mayoral and city council candidate lists for the general election Nov. 4. Four candidates for mayor were on the ballot.
Eight of ten candidates for the at-large city councilor position advanced to the general election. Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia M. Mejia, Erin Murphy, and Henry Santana are all current city councilors at-large, and all of them took the lead. Frank Baker, Alexandra Valdez, Marvin Dee Mathelier and Will Onuoha will also be on the ballot Nov. 4. Only four of the eight will secure seats.
Incumbents were also the most successful in district-specific elections, where two from each district advanced to the general ballot. The running incumbent for District 1, which encompasses Charlestown, East Boston, and the North End, is Gabriela Coletta Zapata. She has been a member of City Council since 2022. She will run against Andretti McDuffle-Stanziati, who announced on social media that he will not actively campaign for the seat.
Incumbent Ed Flynn took a large portion of the vote for District 2, which includes Chinatown, Downtown, South Boston, and the South End. He will run against Charles Delaney, who does not have information about his campaign online. Flynn is a former probation officer who focuses on crime, public safety, and the “Mass. and Cass” area—the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
Incumbent Brian Worrell will run against Helen Cameron for a seat in District 4, which includes Mattapan, Dorchester, Roslindale, and Jamaica Plain. Worrell prioritizes “Black and Brown economic empowerment” and states he will fight for affordability. Cameron is a retired teacher listed as a Republican; she currently does not have a campaign website.
District 5 encompasses Hyde Park, Roslindale, and Mattapan. Incumbent Enrique Pepén will vie for his seat against Winston Pierre. Pepén is the former executive director of Boston’s Office of Neighborhood Services, while Pierre has worked with both the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and the Boston Police Cadet Program.
Eleven candidates were on the ballot for District 7, which includes Roxbury, the South End, and Dorchester. The two winners were retired athlete Said Ahmed and Miniard Culpepper, who has worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This district is the only one without a running incumbent, as Tania Fernandes Anderson resigned July 4 after she pleaded guilty to corruption charges.
Within the mayoral race, current mayor Michelle Wu took nearly 72% of the popular vote. Josh Kraft, whose campaign was highly critical of Wu’s administration, took around 23%. After final poll numbers came out, Kraft announced that he would abandon his campaign for mayor.
Kraft said in a Sept. 11 statement that he “determined that what is right for this city — during a time in America where we need to come closer together despite all our differences, instead of igniting divisiveness that pulls us further apart — is not to get caught up in more political mudslinging but rather, to drive the conversation forward in a meaningful way.”
Under Massachusetts state law, the next-highest mayoral competitor, Domingos DaRosa, could be moved onto the ballot. DaRosa only received 2.6% of the votes in the preliminary election. As of Sept. 12, it is unconfirmed whether he will appear on the ballot.
Michelle Wu became the mayor of Boston in 2021 after serving as City Council President from 2016 to 2018. She has lobbied for a green climate, fare-free public transport and immigrant rights in the midst of backlash from the Trump administration.
“Voters across our city left no doubt,” Wu said to supporters after the election Sept. 9. “In Boston, wins can’t be bought. They’re built day after day by showing up and getting results.”
The next election will be held Nov. 4. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 25, and early voting will take place from Oct. 25 to 31. More information can be found on the City of Boston website.
