Sign up here to receive The Yappie‘s weekly briefing on Asian American + Pacific Islander politics and support our work by making a donation.
Michelle Wu (D) sailed to a historic victory in Boston’s mayoral election on Tuesday night, ushering in an era of change for one of the nation’s biggest cities while bringing Asian American political representation to new heights.
The 36-year-old daughter of Taiwanese immigrants had held a commanding double-digit polling lead in the weeks before election night.
In Tuesday’s contest, she triumphed over fellow City Council member Annissa Essaibi George (D), becoming the first woman and person of color elected to lead Boston.
All of Boston’s previous elected mayors have been white men. With Black, Latino, and Asian American residents now representing a sizable and influential share of the city, Wu’s election marks a significant turning point.
The 2021 mayoral race was dominated by housing, climate, public education, and policing issues. In her policy priorities, Wu proposed offering a citywide Green New Deal, restoring rent control, moving towards a “fare free” public transit system, reforming city planning and development processes, and promoting equitable healthcare infrastructure.
Her progressive campaign racked up endorsements from a diverse coalition of community leaders, including leaders of the Haitian American community, Black community group WAKANDA II, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz (D), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D). Acting mayor Kim Janey (D) had run against Wu but backed her after the primary elections.
Wu also benefited from a flurry of national support, such as endorsements from both of Massachusetts' senators.
Wu grew up on the South Side of Chicago, where her first language was Mandarin Chinese. She spoke to The Yappie’s Shawna Chen and Sunjay Lee earlier this year about inhabiting “two separate identities, the Asian hyphen American.”
After graduating from Harvard, Wu worked in a fast-track position at Boston Consulting Group until her mother’s mental health struggles prompted her to move back home and become her younger sisters’ caregiver. “I had the experience of seeing … all the many ways in which government was really the barrier rather than the force of support that it is supposed to be,” she told The Yappie.
Such frustration was quickly translated into action: Wu enrolled at Harvard Law School in 2009, where she studied under Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and later worked on Warren’s first Senate campaign. By 2013, Wu had launched her own political career by campaigning for a seat on Boston’s City Council; she was elected and eventually became the first woman of color to serve as its president.
In June, when Wu was still considered an underdog candidate, Wu told The Yappie that her campaign is seeking to reimagine what’s possible in city government.
Now, as mayor, Wu will have exactly that opportunity.
“I have lived [through] what it means when government works and when it doesn’t,” she said. “There are lots of issues that we want to solve and lots of policies that need to be put in place. But the most important foundation is people in the community feeling like they have a stake in shaping their own future.”
The Yappie is your must-read briefing on AAPI power, politics, and influence. Make a donation, subscribe, and follow us on Twitter (@theyappie). Send tips and feedback to [email protected].
