2021 mayoral election

At Hibernian Hall in Roxbury last Wednesday night, acting Mayor Kim Janey closed out her historic tenure as Boston’s 55th mayor and as the first woman and person of color to lead the city.

Boston City Councilor and mayoral hopeful Michelle Wu entered the crowded patio at Distraction Brewing Co. in her home neighborhood of Roslindale, to raucous cheers and applause, followed by a resounding chant of “Wu, Wu, Wu…”

Boston will have more options for voters to avoid standing in line come Election Day. The city’s Board of Election Commissioners Tuesday approved 20 drop box sites and 19 early voting sites for this year’s September 14 preliminary and November 2 general elections.

Political insiders are betting on the campaigns of acting Mayor Kim Janey and At-Large City Councilor Michelle Wu, with the pair receiving the lion’s share of backing from the city’s politicians, unions and base-building groups. Last week, however, when JP Progressives was due to make an endorsement, the group’s internal deliberations ended in somewhat of a King Solomon split, with nearly half the members backing Wu and nearly half backing Janey.

District 4 City Councilor Andrea Campbell announced her campaign for mayor last Thursday. She will run against at-large Councilor Michelle Wu, who announced her campaign on Sept.15, and Mayor Martin Walsh, if he announces a campaign.