Michelle Wu Just Became Boston’s First Female Asian American Mayor

The city of Boston has had a somewhat dubious reputation when it comes to diversity, but on Tuesday the election of Michelle Wu—a lawyer, a City Council member, and the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants—as mayor sent a meaningful message about what kind of future the city hopes to create. “From every corner of our city, Boston has spoken,” said Wu on Tuesday night. “We are ready to meet this moment. We are ready to become a Boston for everyone.”

This mayoral election in Boston differed greatly from those of years past. Acting mayor Kim Janey, who took over from Marty Walsh when he was tapped to act as President Joe Biden’s labor secretary in January, had vied for the elected position but in September failed to secure a final slot to compete against Wu. Although Janey, a Black woman, was briefly Boston’s first female mayor of color, Wu holds the distinction of being the first Asian American woman elected to the position. Wu’s rival in Tuesday’s mayoral race, Annissa Essaibi George, conceded yesterday.

Wu’s policies are largely in line with mainstream progressive legislative priorities. She supports the Green New Deal and has come out in favor of rent control and rent stabilization, a fare-free subway system in Boston, and regulations on short-term rental properties, which led Airbnb to engage in a public Twitter dispute with Wu. A mother of two, Wu is also an outspoken advocate for paid family leave, an initiative whose lack of inclusion in Biden’s Build Back Better bill has rankled many Democrats.

This story originally appeared in Vogue.