Boston’s mayoral race for the New York Times
February 13, 2022

For the New York Times, I spent a couple of days on the campaign trail with the 4 major candidates in Boston’s mayoral election last fall, all of whom were women. Coverage culminated with Mayor-elect Michell Wu’s celebration at the end of a long day traveling between voting locations on election day. 

Mayor-elect Michelle Wu's celebration party

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu speaks at her election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. David Vittorini (right), Chief of Staff for Michelle Wu, looks at election returns with wife Jessi Savino at mayoral candidate Michelle Wu's election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. People await election results at Michelle Wu's election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. An activity asks attendees to "Share your dreams of Boston" at mayoral candidate Michelle Wu's election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. People await election results at mayoral candidate Michelle Wu's election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Members of the press await election returns at mayoral candidate Michelle Wu's election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu speaks at her election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Supporters cheer as Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu arrives to speak at her election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Abdi Ali, 32, of East Boston, (center) celebrates as word spreads that Annissa Essaibi George conceded the race and that Michelle Wu will be the next mayor of Boston at Wu's election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu arrives to speak at her election night party at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21

The campaign

Boston City Council at-large member and mayoral candidate Michelle Wu (center) speaks with people at the Beacon Hill Civic Association Fall HillFest event in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, on Sun., Sept. 12, 2021. Wu is one of the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021.
Campaign signs for mayoral candidates Acting Mayor Kim Janey and Boston City Council at-large member Annissa Essaibi George stand among plants at the intersection of Greenwood and Hyde Park Avenues in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, on Sat., Sept. 11, 2021. Essaibi George and Janey are among the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021.
Boston City Council member (District 4) and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell (center) crosses Tremont Street while walking between campaign stops in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sun., Sept. 12, 2021. Campbell is one of the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021.
Acting Mayor of Boston Kim Janey speaks at a campaign event during which Latinx Community Leaders, including elected officials and union leaders, endorsed the candidate in the upcoming City of Boston Mayoral election at Mozart Park in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, Massachusetts, on Fri., Sept. 10, 2021. Janey became Mayor of Boston when former Mayor Marty Walsh stepped down after being appointed US Secretary of Labor. Janey is the first woman and first Black person to serve as Mayor of the city. Janey is one of the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. In her speech, Janey called Boston "a city of opportunity...a city of immigrants."
Boston mayoral candidate and City Council at-large member Michelle Wu (top hands) embraces the hands of Maria Lobban while the two talk after the Wu spoke at a campaign event at the Susan L. Curry Community Center in Boston, Massachusetts, on Thu., Oct. 28, 2021. Wu is largely seen as the frontrunner in the race against Annissa Essaibi George. The election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. Lobban shared details of her difficult personal situation when asking as a question of Wu and spoke about the difficulty faced by the Black community as the cost of living in Boston increases.
Boston City Council at-large member and mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George (center) greets friends and supporter as she arrives for a campaign visit to the Boston Center for Youth and Families Nazzaro Community Center in the North End area of Boston, Massachusetts, on Thu., Oct. 28, 2021. Essaibi George is facing off against fellow City Council member Michelle Wu, who is largely seen as the frontrunner in the race. The election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021.
A campaign sticker for Boston City Council at-large member and mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George adorns the cover of the current issue of The North End Regional Review in the Post-Gazette newsroom in the North End area of Boston, Massachusetts, on Thu., Oct. 28, 2021. Essaibi George is facing off against fellow City Council member Michelle Wu, who is largely seen as the frontrunner in the race. The election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. Essaibi George stopped at a few local businesses and greeted people on the street while in the North End.
Boston City Council member (District 4) and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell (left) speaks with Robert Manning, of Beacon Hill, at the Beacon Hill Civic Association Fall HillFest event in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, on Sun., Sept. 12, 2021. Campbell is one of the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021.
Christopher Nzenwa, of Boston, holds a campaign sign in Haitan Creole for Boston mayoral candidate and City Council at-large member Michelle Wu after the candidate spoke to the Haitian senior community at a campaign event at the Forever Young Adult Day Health Center in the Hyde Park area of Boston, Massachusetts, on Thu., Oct. 28, 2021. Wu is largely seen as the frontrunner in the race against Annissa Essaibi George. The election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. Nzenwa says that he is the "oldest grass roots organizer in Massachusetts," dating back to Edward Kennedy's campaigns.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey (right) embraces Roxana Rivera, Vice President of 23BJ SEIU, a union representing approximately 20,000 janitors, security workers, and airport workers in Massachusetts, a campaign event in which Latinx community leaders endorsed the Janey's candidacy in the upcoming City of Boston Mayoral election at Mozart Park in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, Massachusetts, on Fri., Sept. 10, 2021. Janey became Mayor of Boston when former Mayor Marty Walsh stepped down after being appointed US Secretary of Labor. Janey is the first woman and first Black person to serve as Mayor of the city. Janey is one of the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. In her speech, Janey called Boston "a city of opportunity...a city of immigrants."
With nails matching her campaign colors, Acting Mayor of Boston Kim Janey speaks at a campaign event during which Latinx Community Leaders, including elected officials and union leaders, endorsed the candidate in the upcoming City of Boston Mayoral election at Mozart Park in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, Massachusetts, on Fri., Sept. 10, 2021. Janey became Mayor of Boston when former Mayor Marty Walsh stepped down after being appointed US Secretary of Labor. Janey is the first woman and first Black person to serve as Mayor of the city. Janey is one of the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. In her speech, Janey called Boston "a city of opportunity...a city of immigrants."
Maria Lobban (left) speaks to Boston mayoral candidate and City Council at-large member Michelle Wu after the candidate spoke at a campaign event at the Susan L. Curry Community Center in Boston, Massachusetts, on Thu., Oct. 28, 2021. Wu is largely seen as the frontrunner in the race against Annissa Essaibi George. The election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. Lobban shared details of her difficult personal situation when asking as a question of Wu and spoke about the difficulty faced by the Black community as the cost of living in Boston increases.
Boston City Council at-large member and mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George (center) does a fist bump with Khor'dae Clark, 5, (left) of West Roxbury, as his mother Kesha Parker (right) looks on at a Get Out The Vote campaign event at Akiki Towing's Training and Development Offices in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, on Sat., Sept. 11, 2021. Essaibi George is one of the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. Akiki Towing has donated their office space to the campaign to use for organizing efforts for the election. Parker says she's a good friend of Essaibi George and big supporter.
Boston mayoral candidate and City Council at-large member Michelle Wu greets people after speaking to the Haitian senior community at a campaign event at the Forever Young Adult Day Health Center in the Hyde Park area of Boston, Massachusetts, on Thu., Oct. 28, 2021. Wu is largely seen as the frontrunner in the race against Annissa Essaibi George. The election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021.
Followed by reporters and a campaign photographer, Boston City Council member (District 4) and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell (left) and campaign manager Katie Prisco-Buxbaum (second from left) walk between campaign stops in Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sun., Sept. 12, 2021. Campbell is one of the top four contenders in the race, all of whom are women of color. The primary election takes place on Sept. 14, 2021, and the general election will be held on Nov. 2, 2021.

Election day - voting and catching up with candidate Annissa Essaibi George

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Voters cast ballots at the Boston Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Fenway area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. A sandwich board indicates that today is election day in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Voters cast ballots at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston Yawkey Club of Roxbury polling location in the Roxbury area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Annissa Essaibi George speaks to the press outside the Catherine Clark Apartments polling location in the Dorchester area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George greets voters outside the Florian Hall polling location in the Dorchester area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Patrick Atwell, political director of SEIU 888 Boston union, holds a sign for mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George outside the Catherine Clark Apartments polling location in the Dorchester area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. Essaibi George accompanied Mary Walsh (mother of former mayor Marty Walsh) and her own mother Barbara Essaibi while they voted.. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. People gather outside the Higginson/Lewis K-8 School location in the Roxbury area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. People vote at the Higginson/Lewis K-8 School location in the Roxbury area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. Signs read "Be the change: Just vote" on the median on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the Roxbury area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOV 2, 2021. A campaign sign for mayoral candidate Michelle Wu hangs outside the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston Yawkey Club of Roxbury polling location in the Roxbury area of Boston, Massachusetts, on election day, Tue., Nov. 2, 2021. The Boston Mayor's election race is between two City Councilors, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George who are women of color, and either being elected will be the first woman of color elected as Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu is widely seen as the front-runner in the race with a large lead over Essaibi George in polls of likely voters. CREDIT: M. Scott Brauer for the New York Times NYTELX21
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