Politics

Elizabeth Warren endorses Michelle Wu in Boston mayoral race

"Michelle has always been a fighter."

City Councilor and mayoral hopeful Michelle Wu. Jim Davis / The Boston Globe, File

By Lucas Phillips, The Boston Globe

January 9, 2021

1 minute to read

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed Boston City Councilor At-Large Michelle Wu Saturday in the race to succeed Mayor Martin J. Walsh, calling her a “fighter.”

“Michelle has always been a fighter — as one of my students, as a Boston city councilor, and now as a candidate for Mayor,” Warren said in a statement released by the Wu campaign Saturday.

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 https://t.co/RjonYSfUxK. pic.twitter.com/vXGOVU2tqB

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 9, 2021

President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s picked Walsh as his choice for Labor Secretary, and his departure leaves the mayor’s race open for only the second time in nearly 30 years.

Kim Janey, the current council president, will fill Walsh’s seat as acting mayor, making her the first Black person and first woman to serve as the city’s mayor. She has not announced whether she will run for the seat.

Wu, a former city council president, announced her decision to run in September, as did City Councilor Andrea Campbell.

“She is a tireless advocate for families and communities who feel unseen and unheard,” Warren said in her endorsement. “Michelle is not just a woman full of good ideas and a passionate heart, she is a woman who gets out and does the work that needs to be done to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Warren also said that “Bostonians can count on Michelle’s bold, progressive leadership to tackle our biggest challenges, such as recovering from the pandemic, dismantling systemic racism, prioritizing housing justice, revitalizing our transportation infrastructure, and addressing the climate crisis.”