Democrat Michelle Wu the Frist Asian American elected as Mayor of Boston

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Democrat Michelle Wu made history when she was elected Boston’s new mayor. Wu is the first woman and the first person of color to hold the seat in the city’s history. Point to be noted that Boston has historically only elected White men as mayor and typically elect mayors who have lifelong Boston roots, but Wu has broken both of those traditions with her win. Wu grew up in Chicago along with being the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants and didn’t move to Boston until she attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. On Tuesday night, she said, “I came to this city as a homesick college kid. But as soon as I stepped foot on the red line to Chinatown, tea token in hand, I knew I was home. Thank you, Boston”.

Wu also said, “One of my sons asked me the other night if sons can be elected mayor of Boston. They have been and they will someday again, but not tonight. On this day, Boston elected your mom because, from every corner of our city, Boston has spoken. We are ready to meet at this moment. We are ready to become a Boston for everyone. We are ready to become a Boston that doesn’t push people out but welcomes all who call our city home. I want to be clear; it wasn’t my vision on the ballot. It was ours, together. Although we’ve put in a lot of work to get to this day, our movement does not end here. We have a lot of work to do, so let’s dig in”.

Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George is also a Democrat, conceded to Wu soon after the polls closed. At the time just 30% of precincts had reported their results, but all of them had reported results in favor of Wu, at 64% to 36%. Essaibi George is also the daughter of immigrant parents. Her father is from Tunisia and her mother was born in a displaced person’s camp in Germany. They congratulated Wu on her victory and recognized Wu’s historic achievement. Essaibi George said, “She is the first woman, the first person of color, and as an Asian American, the first to be elected mayor of Boston. I know this is no small feat, you know this is no small feat. I want her to show this city how mothers get it done”.