2021 Boston Mayoral Election Megathread

[Real Texan Politics]

Yesterday (March 22, 2021), Boston mayor Marty Walsh resigned upon his confirmation as United States Secretary of Labor under Joe Biden. Kim Janey (president of Boston City Council) became acting mayor as a result of Walsh's resignation, becoming the first woman and first black person to serve as mayor of Boston.

Currently on PredictIt, Michelle Wu (Boston city council member) leads the pack at 49 cents despite an expected surge for Janey after Janey took office as mayor. Though Janey is 2nd place at 40 cents, with everyone else in single digits. Who do y'all think will be the election winner?

The election will be held November 2, 2021, though a possible non-partisan preliminary election is scheduled for September 21, 2021.

[Suburbia]

Other: Matt O'Malley

[JMT]

I think Michelle Wu wins

[W]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/boston-mayor-kim-janey-throws-first-pitch-at-red-sox-2021-opener/ar-BB1ffjAn

Janey threw a *STRIKE* at the Red Sox opening game.

She might as well have pulled King Arthur's sword Excalibur out of stone. Titanium Janey.

[Real Texan Politics]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/boston-mayor-kim-janey-throws-first-pitch-at-red-sox-2021-opener/ar-BB1ffjAn

Janey threw a *STRIKE* at the Red Sox opening game.

She might as well have pulled King Arthur's sword Excalibur out of stone. Titanium Janey.

I guess she's got my endorsement then lol

[JMT]

Kim Janey officially announced that she’s running for a full term for Mayor:

https://twitter.com/kim_janey/status/1379390604937994242?s=21

[brucejoel99]

Kim Janey officially announced that she’s running for a full term for Mayor:

https://twitter.com/kim_janey/status/1379390604937994242?s=21

I'm Kim Janey, & I'm the 55th Mayor of Boston.

Section 11B of the Boston City Charter (& probably Michelle Wu too, if her candidacy has anything to say about it):

[progressive85]

I think the frontrunners are definitely Wu and Janey and they are the symbolic leaders of two very different but increasingly powerful ethnic groups in the city, which up to this time has really been controlled by white men.  2021 is going to be a huge "realignment" election I guess you might say or a new era in Boston politics.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

I've gotta say, if Wu pulls this off, she's easily in my top 10 under 40 up and coming Democratic politicians. I could easily see her pursuing higher officer, Governor or Senate, in a few years.

Kim Janey seems like a solid person; and I admire her background and historic leadership. But if I lived in Boston I think I'd be supporting Wu; she seems like the more progressive and forward thinking candidate. Wouldn't complain if Janey won though, two solid choices imo.

Maybe Janey could run for higher office herself later; but she is quite a bit older than Wu.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

I just realized that two major cities (NY, and Boston) with mayoral elections this year have Asian-Americans as the front runners

[VAR]

MassINC polled this race:

April 7-11
552 registered voters

19% Michelle Wu
18% Kim Janey (inc.)
6% Annissa Essaibi George
4% Andrea Campbell
3% John Barros
3% Jon Santiago
46% Don’t know / undecided
1% Refused

Favorables:
Marty Walsh: 59/20 (+39)
Kim Janey: 34/5 (+29)
Michelle Wu: 47/11 (+36)
Andrea Campbell: 26/6 (+20)
Jon Santiago: 13/5 (+8)
Annissa Essaibi George: 27/5 (+22)
John Barros: 17/6 (+11)

https://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2021/04/topline-wed-am.pdf

[LabourJersey]

MassINC polled this race:

April 7-11
552 registered voters

19% Michelle Wu
18% Kim Janey (inc.)
6% Annissa Essaibi George
4% Andrea Campbell
3% John Barros
3% Jon Santiago
46% Don’t know / undecided
1% Refused

Favorables:
Marty Walsh: 59/20 (+39)
Kim Janey: 34/5 (+29)
Michelle Wu: 47/11 (+36)
Andrea Campbell: 26/6 (+20)
Jon Santiago: 13/5 (+8)
Annissa Essaibi George: 27/5 (+22)
John Barros: 17/6 (+11)

https://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2021/04/topline-wed-am.pdf

Only 39% of people polled have an opinion of Janey, which I find pretty interesting.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

This one, I think, is the last to have slipped under the radar here.

I suspected I might have missed one, but thought it was unlikely. Here it is.

https://emersonpolling.reportablenews.com/pr/boston-mayoral-race-without-clear-frontrunner

April 27-28, 2021
860 registered voters
MoE: 3.3%

Don't know/undecided 36%
Michelle Wu 16%
Kim Janey 15%
Annissa Essaibi George 14%
Andrea Campbell 11%
Jon Santiago 4%
John Barros 3%
Michael J. Blanchi II 1%

[Suburbia]

Is the Boston Police unions an issue in this city's election? Was Marty Walsh too pro-law enforcement or in the middle?

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

https://www.pollprogressive.com/post/essaibi-george-wu-lead-wide-open-mayoral-race-voters-divided-on-key-issues

Poll Progressive LLC/Emancipated Group
May 25-30
550 likely voters
MoE: 4.1%

Annissa Essaibi-George +4

Annissa Essaibi-George 22
Michelle Wu 18
Kim Janey (appointed inc.) 16
Andrea Campbell 6
Jon Santiago 5
John Barros 5
Undecided 29

[brucejoel99]

https://www.pollprogressive.com/post/essaibi-george-wu-lead-wide-open-mayoral-race-voters-divided-on-key-issues

Poll Progressive LLC/Emancipated Group
May 25-30
550 likely voters
MoE: 4.1%

Annissa Essaibi-George +4

Annissa Essaibi-George 22
Michelle Wu 18
Kim Janey (appointed inc.) 16
Andrea Campbell 6
Jon Santiago 5
John Barros 5
Undecided 29

Well, that's from outta nowhere.

[VAR]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/29/metro/read-full-results-suffolkglobe-poll-boston-mayoral-race/

SUPRC/Boston Globe
June 23-26
500 likely voters

Michelle Wu 23%
Kim Janey 22%
Annissa Essaibi George 14%
Andrea Campbell 11%
Jon Santiago 5%
John Barros 2%
Robert Cappucci 1%
Richard Spagnuolo 0%
Other 0%
Undecided 22%
Refused 1%

[Meatball Ron]

Essaibi-George seems terrible.

Campbell was my original first choice (and would still be in a RCV environment); would be happy with Wu or Janey but preference for Janey.

[NewYorkExpress]

We had a thread for Boston Mayor a while ago.

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=393204.0

It's an old thread, but merging the two threads together is probably the best course of action here.

[Real Texan Politics]

We had a thread for Boston Mayor a while ago.

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=393204.0

It's an old thread, but merging the two threads together is probably the best course of action here.

Didn’t know that, oops.

[Senator-elect Spark]

Michelle Wu.

[NewYorkExpress]

Kim Janey compares vaccine passports to having to show documentation during Jim Crow, and birtherism.

Boston Mayor Kim Janey (D) compared the idea of requiring vaccine verification to the practice of having to show one's papers during slavery and the Jim Crow era, as well as the more recent birtherism conspiracy theory.

"There's a long history in this country of people needing to show their papers," Janey said during an interview with NewsCenter 5. "During slavery, post-slavery, as recent as you know what immigrant population has to go through here. We heard Trump with the birth certificate nonsense. Here we want to make sure that we are not doing anything that would further create a barrier for residents of Boston or disproportionally impact [Black, Indigenous or people of color] communities."

Janey was asked the question in light of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's (D) Tuesday announcement that he would require New Yorkers to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms and other indoor facilities. 


"We want to make sure that we are giving every opportunity for folks to get vaccinated. When it comes to what businesses may choose to do, we know that those types of things are difficult to enforce when it comes to the vaccine," Janey said.

Janey, who is running for a full term as Mayor, sparked backlash from her opponents in the race to be held this autumn.

https://twitter.com/andreaforboston/status/1422642209938186245

"Anyone in a position of leadership should be using that position to build trust in vaccines," City Councilor Michelle Wu said in a statement, according to NewsCenter 5.

[progressive85]

What an odd election.  No one I know even cares about it - even the politically astute.  And yet it's so historic - all the front-runners are women.

I'll vote for Michelle Wu, just because she's been on the Council for a while now, whereas Kim Janey is like the Kamala Harris of Boston - she's in power but nobody really knows who she is.

[Meatball Ron]

Essaibi-George seems terrible.

Campbell was my original first choice (and would still be in a RCV environment); would be happy with Wu or Janey but preference for Janey.

I am no longer supporting Janey due to her vaccine comments. Would probably rank Campbell > Wu > Janey > Essabi-George at this point. Would probably vote Wu to be strategic since there's no RCV.

[JMT]

Polls just closed! I'm excited to see some results here