Boston mayoral candidates hoping to make history Tuesday
BOSTON (AP) — The two candidates hoping to make history in Boston's mayoral contest — Democrats Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George — spent the final hours of the campaign racing from neighborhood to neighborhood urging their voters to turn up at the polls Tuesday.
Whoever wins will mark a major milestone in the city’s political culture, becoming the first woman and first person of color elected mayor of Boston. In the city’s long history, voters have only elected white men to the top political post.
Wu spent much of the weekend campaigning with high-profile Democratic supporters, including U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey.
“It’s clear that Boston residents want city government to be bold and act with urgency to meet this moment,” Wu said. “We’re ready to fight for the change we need.”
On Sunday evening, Essaibi George launched a 24-hour campaign swing through the entire city beginning with a Halloween parade in the Charlestown neighborhood and ending with a scheduled “get out the vote” rally in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
“Still at it! Here at Twin Donuts for breakfast after some radio interviews, as I continue my 24 straight hours on the campaign trail,” Essaibi George tweeted Monday morning from the city’s Allston neighborhood.
Nearly 40,000 votes have already been cast in early voting. Democratic Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin told reporters Monday he estimates about 135,000 ballots will be cast in Boston — about 30 percent of the city's 442,000 registered voters.
The race has been closely watched with outside groups pouring millions into the contest.
While the candidates largely agree on which are the biggest issues facing the city — from soaring housing costs, to public...