2021 Boston mayoral election

The Boston mayoral election of 2021 will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, to elect the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts.

2021 Boston mayoral election
November 2, 2021
 
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Mayor before election

Marty Walsh

 Elected Mayor

TBD

Elections in Massachusetts
General
Federal government
U.S. President
U.S. Senate
U.S. House
State government
Governor
State Senate
State House
Governor's Council
  • 2006
  • 2010
  • 2014
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  • 2022
Ballot measures
Boston
Mayor
City council
Springfield
Mayor
Worcester
Mayor

Incumbent mayor Marty Walsh is eligible to seek a third term, but is being nominated to the role of United States Secretary of Labor under President Joe Biden (subject to confirmation by the United States Senate).[1][2][3] Kim Janey, president of the Boston City Council who would become acting mayor upon Walsh vacating the office, has not yet stated whether or not she will seek election to a full term.

If more than two candidates run, a non-partisan preliminary election,[lower-alpha 1] held on September 21,[4] will precede the November general election.[5]

Potential special election

Should incumbent mayor Marty Walsh resign to take the United States Secretary of Labor position, the date he leaves office would normally determine if the city would be required to hold a special election for the remainder of his term, or if the acting mayor would serve the remainder of his term.[6] Boston's city charter requires that a special election be held for the office of mayor when a vacancy occurs "within sixteen months after a regular municipal election."[7] As Boston held a municipal election on November 5, 2019, a 16-month window from that election extends until March 5, 2021. Thus, if Walsh leaves his position as mayor before March 5, 2021, a special election to fill the remainder of his term would be required, per Boston's city charter.

Ricardo Arroyo of the Boston City Council proposed that the city charter requirement for a special election be overridden; an override requires approval from Boston's city council and mayor, followed by approval by the state legislature and governor.[8][9] The city council approved a home rule petition, which would dispense with the special election, on February 3;[10][11] it was subsequently signed by mayor Walsh.[12] The petition still requires approval from the state legislature and governor.

Candidates

To appear on the ballot, candidates must file nomination papers at Boston City Hall by 5:00 p.m. on May 18 with 3,000 certified signatures of registered voters.[4]

Declared
Candidate Experience Announced Ref

Andrea Campbell		 Boston city councilor from 4th district since 2016

Former president of the Boston City Council (2018–2020)

 September 24, 2020

(Website)		 [13]

Dana Depelteau		 Former hotel manager February 3, 2021
(Website)		 [14]

Annissa Essaibi George		 Boston city councilor at-large since 2016 January 28, 2021

(Website)		 [15]

Michelle Wu		 Boston city councilor at-large since 2014

Former president of the Boston City Council (2016–2018)

 September 15, 2020

(Website)		 [16]

Potential

Declined

Endorsements
Michelle Wu
Federal officeholders
State officeholders
Local officeholders
Organizations
Andrea Campbell
State officeholders
  • Andrea Cabral, former Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and former Suffolk County Sheriff[46]
  • Liz Malia, Massachusetts state representative[20]
  • Diane Patrick, former First Lady of Massachusetts[47]
Local officeholders
Individuals
  • John Borders IV, community activist and faith leader
  • Diana Hwang, founder of Asian American Women's Political Initiative, candidate for Massachusetts state representative in 2016[20][48]
  • Bill Walczak, activist, CEO of the South End Community Health Center, founder of Codman Square Health Center, and 2013 Boston mayoral candidate[20]

Polling
Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[lower-alpha 2]		 Margin
of error		 Andrea
Campbell		 Marty
Walsh		 Michelle
Wu		 Other Undecided
February 3, 2021 Depelteau announces his candidacy
January 28, 2021 Essaibi George announces her candidacy
January 7, 2021 Walsh announced to be Joe Biden's choice for Secretary of Labor
September 24, 2020 Campbell announces her candidacy
September 15, 2020 Wu announces her candidacy
MassInc/GBH News September 11–15, 2020 400 (RV) ± 4.9% 4% 46% 23% 6% 18%

Notes
  1. By law, all local elections in the City of Boston are non-partisan.
  2. Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear

See also

References
  1. Bernstein, David S. (April 10, 2019). "2019 Boston City Council Race Sets Stage For 2021 Mayor's Contest". WGBH-TV. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  2. Cotter, Sean Philip (December 31, 2019). "2020 will tell much about Boston mayoral race". Boston Herald. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  3. McDonald, Danny; Staff, Stephanie Ebbert Globe; January 7, Updated; 2021; Comments, 2 hours agoEmail to a Friend Share on Facebook Share on TwitterPrint this Article View. "Joe Biden chooses Walsh for Labor Secretary - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved January 8, 2021.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. "2021 Election Calendar". Boston.gov. Boston Elections Commission. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  5. Cotter, Sean Philip (May 30, 2020). "Coronavirus makes for tougher road for any Boston mayoral challengers against Walsh". Boston Herald. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  6. DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (January 8, 2021). "Two candidates are already in the race to be Boston's next mayor. More are looking to join". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  7. @NikDeCostaKlipa (January 7, 2021). "So... if Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is confirmed as Labor secretary before March 5, the city would have a special mayoral election sometime between May and July, its usual preliminary mayoral election in September, and the general election in November" (Tweet). Retrieved January 8, 2021 – via Twitter.
  8. McDonald, Danny (January 8, 2021). "In light of Walsh departure, Boston councilor wants to override special election requirement". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  9. Cotter, Sean Philip (January 13, 2021). "Proposal to eliminate Boston special mayoral election could be bad look, some councilors say". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  10. DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (January 27, 2021). "Why the Boston City Council is looking to cancel a possible special election to replace Marty Walsh". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  11. Cotter, Sean Philip (February 3, 2021). "Boston City Council passes law to bypass special mayoral election". Boston Herald. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  12. Cotter, Sean Philip (February 5, 2021). "Marty Walsh signs bill to override special Boston mayoral election, sends to Beacon Hill". Boston Herald. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  13. "Andrea Campbell announces campaign to be Boston mayor | Boston.com". www.boston.com. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  14. adamg (February 3, 2021). "Dorchester resident running for mayor". universalhub.com.
  15. McDonald, Danny (January 27, 2021). "Councilor Essaibi-George jumps into the mayoral fray". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021.
  16. "It's official: I'm running for Mayor because Boston should be a city for everyone. Now's the time for bold, urgent leadership". Twitter.com. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  17. Murray, Stephanie (January 8, 2021). "BIDEN taps WALSH for LABOR — MAYORAL RACE WIDE OPEN — Mass. man ARRESTED in CAPITOL CHAOS". POLITICO. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  18. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/07/business/is-it-foregone-conclusion-that-bostons-next-mayor-wont-be-white-male/
  19. Cotter, Sean Philip (January 7, 2021). "What would happen with the Boston mayoral race after Marty Walsh leaves?". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  20. Gavin, Christopher (January 12, 2020). "With Boston mayoral race wide open, endorsements roll in for Wu, Campbell | Boston.com". www.boston.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  21. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/07/business/is-it-foregone-conclusion-that-bostons-next-mayor-wont-be-white-male/
  22. Smith, Meghan (January 8, 2021). "If Walsh Is Out, Who Will Lead Boston's Mayoral Race? Jon Keller Weighs In". WGBH. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  23. Philip, Sean. "Who will run to replace Marty Walsh as Boston mayor?". Bostonherald.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  24. Cotter, Sean Philip [@CotterReporter] (January 8, 2021). "State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz will not run for Boston mayor, her campaign said in a statement just now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/08/metro/with-bidens-selection-walsh-mayors-race-heats-up/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link
  26. Kilgannon, Maddie (January 27, 2021). "Garrison says she'll 'definitely be on the ballot' this year; The question is: which one?". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  27. https://www.dotnews.com/2021/garrison-says-shes-running-large-council
  28. Jan 10, 2021. "Source: BPD Commissioner Gross Prepares Likely Run For Mayor Of Boston | WBZ NewsRadio 1030". Wbznewsradio.iheart.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  29. McDonald, Danny; Estes, Andrea (January 28, 2021). "In Boston mayoral race, Essaibi-George says she's in and Gross says he's out". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  30. "The Race to Lead Boston Is Suddenly Wide Open - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  31. https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2021/01/14/marty-martinez-aaron-michlewitz-mayor-election
  32. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/08/metro/with-bidens-selection-walsh-mayors-race-heats-up/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link
  33. https://www.baystatebanner.com/2021/01/07/walsh-tapped-for-labor-secretary-councilors-line-up-for-mayoral-race/
  34. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2021/01/18/not-running-for-mayor-boston/
  35. "Shifting demographics could sink Marty Walsh". Boston Herald. May 10, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  36. Gavin, Christopher (May 13, 2019). "Marty Walsh says he has yet to decide on whether he'll seek a third term | Boston.com". www.boston.com. Boston.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  37. Harding, Ed (January 5, 2020). "OTR: What to expect from Marty Walsh's State of the City address". WCVB-TV. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  38. Walker, Adrian (May 3, 2020). "Is the pandemic assuring Marty Walsh's reelection? - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  39. Cullen (November 23, 2020). "Marty Walsh is expected to run for Boston mayor again - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  40. Warren, Elizabeth [@ewarren] (January 9, 2021). "I've been proud to fight alongside Michelle over the last 7 years. She gets out and does the work that needs to be done to make a difference in people's lives. I'm thrilled to get on board the @WuTrain and endorse her run for Mayor of Boston. Join at michelleforboston.com" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  41. @danrivera01843 (January 10, 2021). "Tommorow [sic] I won't be able to say this: Boston should elect @wutrain as Mayor, my sister, who helped me in my recount in 2014 & help me win by 81 Votes! She would be a transformation al leader #ImWithHer #mapoli #bospoli" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. "Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera Will Step Down Jan. 8 To Head MassDevelopment". www.wbur.org. WBUR FM. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  43. "Municipal Leaders from Across the State Endorse Michelle Wu's 2021 Boston Mayoral Bid". Boston Orange. December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  44. Kingdollar, Brandon L. "Two Cambridge City Councilors Endorse Michelle Wu '07 for Mayor of Boston | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  45. "As Boston's Mayoral Race Shifts, Wu Lands Two Big Endorsements". News. January 11, 2021.
  46. "Former Suffolk County sheriff Andrea Cabral endorses Andrea Campbell for mayor - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  47. Cotter, Sean Phillip (January 28, 2021). "Diane Patrick endorses Andrea Campbell in Boston mayoral race". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  48. "Diana Hwang". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 13, 2021.

Further reading
Official campaign websites
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