The preliminary election in Boston is set to take place on September 9, with the general election following on November 4.
In this pivotal election year, all 13 City Council positions are up for reelection, alongside the mayoral race, which has garnered significant attention.
Candidates aspiring for positions in both the mayoral and council races must collect a specified number of signatures from registered Boston voters to qualify for the ballot.
The city’s elections department is responsible for certifying these signatures as per the city charter.
If more than two candidates enter the race for mayor or district council seats, or if more than eight candidates vie for the council’s four at-large positions, a preliminary election is necessitated to determine the candidates who will advance to the general election.
The following candidates have successfully secured their places on the ballot for this year’s preliminary election.
In the mayoral race, incumbent Michelle Wu will face off against Josh Kraft, Domingos DaRosa, and Robert Cappucci.
Michelle Wu, the first woman and person of color to be elected as Boston’s mayor, is running for reelection after assuming office in 2021.
A progressive leader and Harvard-educated attorney, Wu has a background as a city councilor where she served for nearly eight years.
Challenging her is Josh Kraft, a veteran of the nonprofit sector with leadership experience at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.
This election marks Kraft’s debut as a political candidate.
Domingos DaRosa enters the race as a community activist with an extensive history working for the city’s Centers for Youth and Families and as a former Pop Warner football coach.
DaRosa, an independent candidate, has attempted to secure at-large council seats unsuccessfully in previous years.
Robert Cappucci, a retired police officer and Navy serviceman, is also in pursuit of the mayoral seat, presenting himself as a “law and order” candidate.
Cappucci has previously run for mayor in 2017 and 2021 without securing a win.
The at-large city councilor race features more than eight candidates, leading to a preliminary election from which the top eight will move on to the general election.
Among the candidates are incumbents Ruthzee Louijeune, Erin Murphy, Julia Mejia, and Henry Santana.
Louijeune, who also serves as the council president, is the first Haitian American in the role, having previously worked for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Erin Murphy, representing Dorchester, is a long-standing education and mental health advocate with over 20 years as a teacher in Boston.
Julia Mejia, a community organizer and social justice advocate from the Dominican Republic, has been a council member since winning a close election in 2019.
Henry Santana, a recent addition to the council, was elected in 2023 and is focused on civic engagement within the immigrant community.
Other candidates in the at-large race include former councilor Frank Baker, small business owner Yves Mary Jean, and first-time candidate Marvin Mathelier.
Rachel Nicole Miselman, a conservative Republican, Will Onuoha, who has nearly two decades of experience at City Hall, and Alexandra Valdez, director of the mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, round out the numerous candidates.
The preliminary elections will help identify the final candidates for each district, including those vying for the councilor positions.
In District 1, the incumbent Gabriela Coletta Zapata is challenged by Ricardo Rodriguez and Andretti McDuffie-Stanziani.
District 2 has incumbent Edward Flynn who seeks reelection against challengers Charles Delaney and Brian Foley.
In District 3, incumbent John FitzGerald is unopposed and will not appear on the September ballot.
The District 4 race will see incumbent Brian Worrell run against Helen Cameron and Juwan Skeens.
In District 5, Enrique Pepén faces Sharon Hinton and Winston Pierre in his bid for reelection.
The District 6 seat is held by incumbent Ben Weber, who will not have to contend with any opponents on the ballot.
District 7’s open seat arises due to the resignation of councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson.
Seven candidates, including Said Abdikarim, Mavrick Afonso, and Wawa Bell, are firmly in the race to fill this vacancy.
In District 8, councilor Sharon Durkan is also running unopposed.
Meanwhile, Liz Breadon, the incumbent for District 9, faces challenger Pilar Ortiz, though this race will also not require a preliminary election due to the limited candidate field.
As Boston gears up for an important day of voting in the preliminary election, candidates across the city prepare to make their cases to the voters, setting the stage for a fierce competition leading to the general election.
image source from：bostonglobe
