For the first time in 200 years, Boston voters have narrowed the field of mayoral candidates to two women of color who will face off against each other in November, reports NBC BLK.
City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George topped the five-person race in Tuesday’s preliminary runoff. They bested acting Mayor Kim Janey, City Councilor Andrea Campbell and John Barros, the city’s former economic development chief. All five were candidates of color — a major shift away from two centuries of Boston politics dominated by White men.
Wu’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan. Essaibi George describes herself as a first generation Arab Polish-American.
Whoever wins on Nov. 2 will make history in a city that has never elected a woman or Asian American mayor. For the past 200 years, the office has been held exclusively by White men.
Wu and Essaibi George’s advancement to the general election ushers in a new era for the city which has wrestled with racial and ethnic strife.
“I’m overjoyed that we are confident we’ve made the top two and are moving on to the final election,” Wu told her supporters Tuesday evening. “I just want to take a moment to honor and thank this historic field of candidates, an amazing moment for the City of Boston.”
