Boston City Council elections were held on November 5, 2019. Nomination forms could be submitted starting April 17, and candidates had a filing deadline of May 21. A preliminary election was held on September 24. By law, Boston municipal elections are nonpartisan—candidates do not represent a specific political party. For the four at-large seats: all four incumbents sought re-election. Election night results showed that three incumbents were re-elected, and one new at-large councillor was elected, by a margin of only 10 votes over the next-highest vote-getter. A recount of that race confirmed that result but by only a single vote. For the nine district seats: six incumbents sought re-election; two were contested and four ran uncontested—election night results showed that all six were re-elected. Three new district councillors were elected, for seats where incumbents were not seeking re-election. All district winners won by comfortable margins. Council members elected in November 2019 were inaugurated on January 6, 2020.

Incumbents

The council members at the time of both the preliminary election and general election were as listed below. The table further indicates if each incumbent ran for re-election, and if so, whether they were re-elected or not. Council President
Filled vacancy created by resignation of

Ayanna Pressley Ayanna Soyini Pressley (born February 3, 1974) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district since 2019. This district, which was once re ...

upon her election to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Results

A preliminary election was held on September 24 to select candidates for four districts, and at-large, for the general election.

Voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...

was 11.17%, as 44,972 of the city's 402,536 registered voters cast ballots. The general election was held on November 5, registering 16.5% voter turnout, as 67,011 ballots were cast.

At-large

The top eight vote-getters in the preliminary election qualified for the general election of four seats. Late on the night of the general election, with only a 10-vote margin between candidates for the final at-large seat, fifth-placed Alejandra Nicole St. Guillen called for a recount. The election department subsequently corrected the tallies of some hand-counted ballots, resulting in a margin of five votes as of November 13 (22,477 to 22,472), and tallied

provisional ballot In elections in the United States, a provisional ballot (called an affidavit ballot in New York) is used to record a vote when there are questions about a given voter's eligibility that must be resolved before the vote can count. The federal ...

s, resulting in a margin of eight votes on November 15 (22,500 to 22,492). Boston election laws require that a candidate seeking a recount submit 50 signatures from registered voters within each ward where a recount is requested, within 10 days of the election. On November 15, St. Guillen submitted 2,000 signatures in support of a recount. Recount signatures, and the results in all other contests, were planned to be certified by Board of Election Commissioners on November 20. The date for the recount was subsequently announced as December 7. The result of the recount was announced on December 9, and confirmed Julia Mejia as winner of the final seat, by a margin of one vote—22,492 votes to 22,491 votes. On December 10, St. Guillen conceded the race, rather than appealing contested ballots. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , Preliminary election !colspan=2 , General election !colspan=2 , Recount , - !Votes !% !Votes !% !Votes !% , - ,

Michelle Wu Michelle Wu ( zh, t=吳弭, first=t; pinyin: ''Wú Mǐ''; born January 14, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the mayor of Boston, mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, since 2021. She is the first woman and the first person ...

, align="right" , 26,622 , align="right" , 19.4 , align="right" , 41,643 , align="right" , 20.7 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Annissa Essaibi George , align="right" , 18,993 , align="right" , 13.8 , align="right" , 34,074 , align="right" , 17.0 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Michael F. Flaherty , align="right" , 18,766 , align="right" , 13.7 , align="right" , 33,269 , align="right" , 16.6 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - ,

Julia Mejia Julia Mejia is an At-Large City Councilor in Boston, Massachusetts. Elected in 2019, Mejia is the first Latinas, Latina elected to the council. Early life and career Born in the Dominican Republic and raised by a single mother, Mejia came to t ...

, align="right" , 10,799 , align="right" , 7.9 , align="right" bgcolor=pink , 22,477 , align="right" , 11.2 , align="right" , 22,492 , align="right" , — , - , Alejandra St. Guillen , align="right" , 11,910 , align="right" , 8.7 , align="right" bgcolor=pink , 22,472 , align="right" , 11.2 , align="right" , 22,491 , align="right" , — , - ,

Erin Murphy Erin Margaret Murphy (born June 17, 1964) is an American actress, who is best known for her role as young Tabitha Stephens in the television sitcom ''Bewitched'', in 103 episodes from the show's third season (in 1966) to the last original episo ...

, align="right" , 9,385 , align="right" , 6.8 , align="right" , 16,853 , align="right" , 8.4 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - ,

Althea Garrison Althea Garrison (born October 7, 1940) is an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts who has served a single term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1993–1995) and a partial term as an at-large councilor on the Boston City C ...

, align="right" , 9,720 , align="right" , 7.1 , align="right" , 16,175 , align="right" , 8.1 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , David Halbert , align="right" , 6,354 , align="right" , 4.8 , align="right" , 13,209 , align="right" , 6.6 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Martin Keogh , align="right" , 6,246 , align="right" , 4.5 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Jeffrey Ross , align="right" , 5,078 , align="right" , 3.7 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Priscilla Flint-Banks , align="right" , 4,094 , align="right" , 3.0 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Domingos DaRosa , align="right" , 2,840 , align="right" , 2.1 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Michel Denis , align="right" , 2,108 , align="right" , 1.5 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , William A. King , align="right" , 1,809 , align="right" , 1.3 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Herb Lozano , align="right" , 1,510 , align="right" , 1.1 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 766 , align="right" , 0.6 , align="right" , 890 , align="right" , 0.4 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Total , align="right" , 137,380 , align="right" , 100 , align="right" , 201,014 , align="right" , 100 , bgcolor=lightgrey, , bgcolor=lightgrey,

District 1

The incumbent, Lydia Edwards, ran unopposed. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , General election , - !Votes !% , - , Lydia Edwards , align="right" , 4,398 , align="right" , 96.6 , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 155 , align="right" , 3.4 , - , Total , align="right" , 4,553 , align="right" , 100

District 2

The incumbent, Ed Flynn, ran unopposed. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , General election , - !Votes !% , - , Ed Flynn , align="right" , 6,367 , align="right" , 97.0 , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 194 , align="right" , 3.0 , - , Total , align="right" , 6,561 , align="right" , 100

District 3

The incumbent, Frank Baker, ran unopposed. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , General election , - !Votes !% , - , Frank Baker , align="right" , 4,826 , align="right" , 95.4 , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 235 , align="right" , 4.6 , - , Total , align="right" , 5,061 , align="right" , 100

District 4

No preliminary election was necessary, as the only two candidates were listed on the general election ballot. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , General election , - !Votes !% , - , Andrea Campbell , align="right" , 4,557 , align="right" , 87.2 , - , Jeff Durham , align="right" , 636 , align="right" , 12.2 , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 35 , align="right" , 0.7 , - , Total , align="right" , 5,228 , align="right" , 100

District 5

The top two vote-getters in the preliminary election qualified for the general election. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , Preliminary election !colspan=2 , General election , - !Votes !% !Votes !% , - , Ricardo Arroyo , align="right" , 2,235 , align="right" , 29.5 , align="right" , 5,329 , align="right" , 54.5 , - , Maria Esdale Farrell , align="right" , 1,813 , align="right" , 23.4 , align="right" , 4,399 , align="right" , 45.0 , - , Jean-Claude Sanon , align="right" , 1,156 , align="right" , 15.3 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , Mimi E. Turchinetz , align="right" , 1,098 , align="right" , 14.5 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , Alkia T Powell , align="right" , 572 , align="right" , 7.6 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , Cecily Leticia Graham , align="right" , 399 , align="right" , 5.3 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , Justin Matthew Murad , align="right" , 154 , align="right" , 2.0 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , Yves Mary Jean , align="right" , 123 , align="right" , 1.6 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 12 , align="right" , 0.2 , align="right" , 40 , align="right" , 0.4 , - , Total , align="right" , 7,571 , align="right" , 100 , align="right" , 9,777 , align="right" , 100

District 6

The incumbent,

Matt O'Malley Matthew Joseph O'Malley (born September 20, 1979) is an American politician and businessman who served six terms a member of the Boston City Council. He was elected as the District 6 representative in a Boston City Council election, 2009, special ...

, ran unopposed. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , General election , - !Votes !% , - ,

, align="right" , 8,834 , align="right" , 95.4 , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 427 , align="right" , 4.6 , - , Total , align="right" , 9,261 , align="right" , 100

District 7

Kim Janey Kim Michelle Janey (born May 16, 1965) is an American politician, community organizer, and nonprofit executive who served as acting Mayor of Boston, mayor of Boston for eight months in 2021. She served as president of the Boston City Council from ...

, align="right" , 2,145 , align="right" , 70.0 , align="right" , 3,852 , align="right" , 74.5 , - , Roy Owens Sr. , align="right" , 517 , align="right" , 16.8 , align="right" , 1,266 , align="right" , 24.5 , - , Valerie Hope Rust , align="right" , 381 , align="right" , 12.4 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 24 , align="right" , 0.8 , align="right" , 53 , align="right" , 1.0 , - , Total , align="right" , 3,069 , align="right" , 100 , align="right" , 5,178 , align="right" , 100 Candidate for re-election

District 8

The top two vote-getters in the preliminary election qualified for the general election. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , Preliminary election !colspan=2 , General election , - !Votes !% !Votes !% , - , Priscilla Kenzie Bok , align="right" , 2,032 , align="right" , 50.4 , align="right" , 3,662 , align="right" , 70.1 , - , Jennifer Ann Nassour , align="right" , 740 , align="right" , 18.3 , align="right" , 1,540 , align="right" , 29.5 , - , Helene Vincent , align="right" , 587 , align="right" , 14.6 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , Kristen Mobilia , align="right" , 511 , align="right" , 12.7 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , Montez David Haywood , align="right" , 149 , align="right" , 3.7 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey , , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 14 , align="right" , 0.3 , align="right" , 23 , align="right" , 0.4 , - , Total , align="right" , 4,039 , align="right" , 100 , align="right" , 5,229 , align="right" , 100 Nassour sought to become the first self-identified (as Boston municipal elections are non-partisan) Republican elected to the City Council since John W. Sears in November 1979.

District 9

The top two vote-getters in the preliminary election qualified for the general election. !colspan=1 rowspan=2 , Candidates !colspan=2 , Preliminary election !colspan=2 , General election , - !Votes !% !Votes !% , - , Liz Breadon , align="right" , 1,129 , align="right" , 23.5 , align="right" , 3,885 , align="right" , 58.5 , - , Craig R. Cashman , align="right" , 1,218 , align="right" , 25.4 , align="right" , 2,728 , align="right" , 41.1 , - , Brandon David Bowser , align="right" , 763 , align="right" , 16.0 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Daniel J. Daly , align="right" , 656 , align="right" , 13.7 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Lee Nave Jr. , align="right" , 466 , align="right" , 9.7 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Jonathan Lamar Allen , align="right" , 456 , align="right" , 9.5 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , Amanda Gail Smart , align="right" , 103 , align="right" , 2.2 , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , align="right" bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , ''Write-in'' , align="right" , 3 , align="right" , 0.1 , align="right" , 28 , align="right" , 0.4 , - , Total , align="right" , 4,813 , align="right" , 100 , align="right" , 6,648 , align="right" , 100

Endorsements

Prior to the preliminary election: * ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' endorsed Ricardo Arroyo in District 5, Kenzie Bok in District 8, and Craig Cashman in District 9. For at-large seats, the ''Globe'' endorsed incumbents Michelle Wu and Michael Flaherty, and newcomers David Halbert and Alejandra St. Guillen. *

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

endorsed Annissa Essaibi George, Michael Flaherty, and Michelle Wu for at-large seats, along with Lydia Edwards in District 1, Andrea Campbell in District 4, Matt O'Malley in District 6, and Kim Janey in District 7. * The Massachusetts chapter of the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

endorsed Andrea Campbell in District 4, and Kim Janey in District 7. *

SEIU 32BJ Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ (often shortened to SEIU 32BJ, 32BJ SEIU or just 32BJ), is a branch of Service Employees International Union headquartered in New York City which mainly represents building workers (maintenance, cu ...

(Service Employees International Union), SEIU Local 615 endorsed at-large candidates Julia Mejia, Alejandra St. Guillen, Annissa Essaibi George, and Michelle Wu; and endorsed Ricardo Arroyo in District 5, Kim Janey in District 7, and Kenzie Bok in District 8. * Local 25 of the

International Brotherhood of Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a diverse members ...

endorsed Michael Flaherty, Michelle Wu, and Annissa Essaibi George for at-large seats, along with Lydia Edwards in District 1, Ed Flynn in District 2, Frank Baker in District 3, Andrea Campbell in District 4, Maria Esdale Farrell in District 5, Matt O'Malley in District 6, Kim Janey in District 7, and Daniel Daly in District 9. *

EMILY's List EMILYs List is a left-leaning American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group's name is an acronym for "E ...

endorsed Lydia Edwards, Kim Janey, Michelle Wu, Annissa Essaibi George, and Andrea Campbell. *

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts attorney general is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...

Maura Healey Maura Tracy Healey (born February 8, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 73rd governor of Massachusetts since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served as Massachusetts Attorney Ge ...

endorsed Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George. *

Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a m ...

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and trade union official who served as the 58th mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as the 29th United States Secretary of Labor from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democr ...

endorsed Alejandra St. Guillen and Annissa Essaibi George. Prior to the general election: * The Massachusetts chapter of the

endorsed Kenzie Bok in District 8. * The LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed Liz Breadon in District 9 and Alejandra St. Guillen for an at-large seat.

Nonbinding advisory question

A non-binding advisory question was added to the November 5, 2019, ballot for all Boston residents asking, "Do you support the renaming/changing of the name of Dudley Square to

Nubian Square Nubian Square (formerly Dudley Square) is the primary commercial center of the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of Dudley Street and Washington Street. It has long been the center of African America ...

?" Election night results show that the question was defeated:

subsequently announced that the question had "passed in the surrounding areas" near the square, 1,990 to 958, and could be considered further by the city's Public Improvement Commission. On December 19, 2019, the Public Improvement Commission unanimously approved changing the name of Dudley Square to Nubian Square.

Notes

References

External links

2019 Election Calendar
at boston.gov {{2019 United States elections City Council election Boston City Council elections Boston City Council election

Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year ...

Michelle Wu Kim Janey