GBH News was on the ground throughout Greater Boston on Tuesday to cover this historic election. In Boston, Michelle Wu declared victory over Annissa Essaibi George. Eight candidates competed for four at-large City Council seats. Voters also weighed in on three contentious ballot questions. Outside of Boston, numerous races could provide a window into how politics is shifting statewide.
Follow a recap of our live coverage below.
POSTED 12:46 AM
With the top race in the Commonwealth decided before 11 p.m., the GBH Newsroom is powering down its live blog, to be revived when a moment of equal importance arises.
Though we are ending live updates, GBH News reporters are working to produce more election stories on everything from City Council races to the potential impact of tonight's election. To get notified when new stories are posted, follow us onInstagram, Facebook or Twitter.
For now, goodnight, Boston!
POSTED 11:32 PM
With the results quickly trending in Wu’s favor, it was just a couple of hours after polls closed that Essaibi George took the stage to concede.
“I want to offer a great big congratulations to Michelle Wu,” she said. “I want her to show this city how mothers get it done.”
The candidate’s backers were disappointed but undaunted by her loss. “I know Annissa will keep working for us and the city, so I’m proud of her. She fought a hard fight and I was happy to support her the whole time,” said Amanda Neal of Dorchester. “I love her message, I love what she stands for. She’s here for all of us, all of our children, all of us Bostonians.”
Another Dorchester supporter, Kevin George, said he’s optimistic about Essaibi George’s future. “Annissa’s a fighter. She’ll be back. It’s not a retirement party tonight. She’ll be back.”
A party atmosphere prevailed after her concession speech, with the biggest crowd of the night lingering long after their candidate left the stage to eat, drink and celebrate the end of a long campaign.
- By GBH News reporter Matt Baskin
POSTED 11:01 PM
Michelle Wu declared victory in the mayor's race.
“From every corner of our city, Boston has spoken," she told supporters from her election night headquarters Tuesday. "We are ready to meet this moment. We are ready to become a Boston for everyone."
Wu steps up with a quip about whether boys can be elected mayor of Boston, she said, they can and “will again someday. But, not today.” pic.twitter.com/tdWgjYV45A
— Saraya (suh-RAY-uh) Wintersmith (@SWINTERSMITH) November 3, 2021
POSTED 10:35 PM
As #AnnissaEssaibiGeorge concedes in the Boston Mayoral Race, #MichelleWu supporters chant and celebrate the victory. We are approaching the final countdown @GBHNews: pic.twitter.com/KYOPr4M3og
— Laney Broussard (@AlanisBroussard) November 3, 2021
POSTED 10:28 PM
Annissa Essaibi George concedes in the Boston mayor's race. “I want to offer a great big congratulations to Michelle Wu,” she told her supporters from Fairmont Copley Plaza.
“I know this is no small feat. You know this is no small feat. I want her to show this city how mothers get it done.”
.@AnnissaForBos makes her concession clear: “I want to offer a great big congratulations to Michelle Wu.” @GBHNews #bospoli
— Matt Baskin (@mdbaskin) November 3, 2021
POSTED 10:10 PM
Michelle Wu is set to give remarks soon after Annissa Essaibi George.
We’re getting a 15 minute warning for remarks from Michelle Wu here now.
— Saraya (suh-RAY-uh) Wintersmith (@SWINTERSMITH) November 3, 2021
POSTED 9:59 PM
Acting Mayor Kim Janey spotted at Michelle Wu's election-night headquarters:
Acting Boston Mayor @Kim_Janey @wutrain headquarters on election night in Boston. #gbhnews #bostonmayor #elections #electionresults2021#bospoli pic.twitter.com/uCfWyyIaTi
— Meredith Nierman (@meredithnierman) November 3, 2021
POSTED 9:57 PM
Annissa Essaibi George is set to speak around 10:10 p.m. Our reporter at her watch party is our eyes and ears:
Spox for @AnnissaForBos confirms that AEG will address supporters at about 10:10pm. @GBHNews #bospoli
— Matt Baskin (@mdbaskin) November 3, 2021
With numbers looking like they favor @wutrain at this point, someone at @AnnissaForBos HQ just tested the mic that’s onstage @GBHNews #bospoli
— Matt Baskin (@mdbaskin) November 3, 2021
POSTED 9:55 PM
Three-term School Committee member Jared Nicholson will be Lynn’s next mayor. Former School Committee member and City Councilor Greg Verga will replace Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken in January. [Read on]
POSTED 9:14 PM
Over in Everett, incumbent Carlo DeMaria will narrowly hold on for a sixth term, defeating challenger Fred Capone 51% to 48% — a margin of 210 votes, by unofficial city results. [Read here.]
POSTED 9:11 PM
Things are looking lively at Wu's watch party, with "Tommy G" busting out the moves, as captured by GBH News director of photography Meredith Nierman.
“Tommy B.” from the South End @wutrain headquarters awaiting election results. #boston #mayor #bospoli #gbhnews #bostonmayoralrace pic.twitter.com/C0WQteRpfT
— Meredith Nierman (@meredithnierman) November 3, 2021
POSTED 9:08 PM
GBH News reporter Matt Baskin with the crucial election night updates: the snacks at Essaibi George's watch party.
Fancy snacks at @AnnissaForBos watch party largely untouched as press continues to outnumber AEG backers as we head towards 8:30pm. @GBHNews #bospoli pic.twitter.com/QWY3qwsDVn
— Matt Baskin (@mdbaskin) November 3, 2021
POSTED 9:00 PM
Framingham’s first-ever mayor — and Massachusetts’ first elected Black female mayor — was ousted after one term. Charlie Sisitsky will replace Yvonne Spicer in Framingham’s top job. [Read more.]
POSTED 8:53 PM
Somerville City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne will be the city's next mayor, per unofficial results. Rival Will Mbah conceded shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. [Read on here]
POSTED 8:09 PM
GBH News photographer Meredith Nierman is at Michelle Wu's election night headquarters.
As the polls close in Boston, supporters flow into election night headquarters for @wutrain . #gbhnews #mapoli #election #bostonmayoralrace #bostonpolitics pic.twitter.com/2kZUaQVZoG
— Meredith Nierman (@meredithnierman) November 3, 2021
8 PM: Polls are closed in Massachusetts! Anyone still in line to vote has the right to vote.
POSTED 7:59 PM
GBH News reporter Matt Baskin arrived at Annissa Essaibi George's election-night party at 7 p.m. tonight.
I’m at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, where the @AnnissaForBos campaign just opened doors to the ballroom where backers will be gathering. Things are quiet so far. @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/RdJ5jYa579
— Matt Baskin (@mdbaskin) November 2, 2021
POSTED 7:55 PM
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin spoke with GBH News around 6 p.m. to discuss how his turnout predictions were panning out. He predicted a turnout of roughly 135,000 voters Monday, compared to 142,000 in 2013, the last time that there was an open race for Boston mayor.
"We had such a good response from the vote by mail," he said, adding that about 40,000 voters returned mail-in ballots this election.
"The only wildcard beyond what I've told you about calculating the vote-by-mail ballots is the issue of late surges and the efforts of campaigns to bring out voters," Galvin went on. "For instance, I've noticed a very significantly higher turnout on the north side of the city. So, for instance, in Brighton and Allston, some of the other communities — which were areas that Michelle Wu did very well in the preliminary — they seem to be having a higher turnout, objectively, than eight years ago."
Polls across Massachusetts close at 8 p.m.
POSTED 6 PM
With polls only open for two more hours, has Annissa Essaibi George done enough in the final week leading up to election to gain ground on Michelle Wu, who has held a substantial lead in the polls since the two candidates won Boston's prelimary election? In the latest edition of Boston's Race Into History, Adam Reilly and Saraya Wintersmith discuss the topic. [Watch the full episode...]
POSTED 4:30 PM
Residents hit the streets of Somerville to show support for their favorite candidates. Joining the supporters is city council candidate Justin Klekota (center) and first-time candidate Stephenson Aman (far right).
[Related: What's At Stake In Somerville's Mayoral Race...]
POSTED 4:02 PM
Jim Zulon is a Dorchester native and a “life-long Democrat”who’s “a speck conservative” depending on the issue.
— Saraya (suh-RAY-uh) Wintersmith (@SWINTERSMITH) November 2, 2021
He’s an Annissa voter because he’s “a firm believer in her work-ethic” watching her as a civic leader, a mom and a businesswoman. pic.twitter.com/FDqIaGql45
POSTED 4 PM
GBH News photographer Meredith Nierman captures the scene in Everett, as supporters line the street in front of a polling center at the Madeline English High School. Scroll through the gallery below for more images.
[Read previous coverage of Everett mayoral race...]
UPDATED 3:02 PM
GBH News producer Emily Schario provides some local perspective on this historic election in this TikTok video.
My latest TikTok for @GBH/@GBHNews about this year’s historic mayoral election! 🤓
— Emily Schario (@emilyschario) November 2, 2021
It’s amazing the things you can make with a tripod, a can-do attitude and no shame in public 😬 pic.twitter.com/02FACLDvGH
POSTED 2:30 PM
Both candidates for mayor of Boston made brief appearances on GBH’s Boston Public Radio today. In separate interviews, councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George discussed some Election Day rituals (wearing a lucky T token necklace and a visit to Morning Star Baptist Church, respectively), their feelings on the city’s historically dismal voter turnout, and what it was like sharing the ballot-casting moment with their school-age boys. [Read More...]
POSTED 1:42 PM
As of noon, highest turnout by % is in Ward 20--ie, West Roxby, where Essaibi George should do well. It's at 20.4
— Adam Reilly (@reillyadam) November 2, 2021
Next up: Ward 19, JP, at 17.5. That's a Wu sweet spot.
They're followed by Ward 16 (Dorchester, good for AEG) and Ward 11 (JP and Roxby, good for Wu). @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/WNg9xKNZsm
POSTED 1:08 PM
A pair of friends supporting different mayoral candidates ran into each other while voting at a polling station in Chinatown. William Li, pictured left, and Nicholas You have been friends for 15 years, and at the end of the day, will respect each other's political opinions no matter the outcome. "We're friends and I figure we can have different opinions. Different values. It's OK. That's what politics is for," said You. [Read and Listen to more in our Voter Voices feature...]
POSTED 12:37 PM
“If this was the 1970s I’d say, yeah that’s big - but it’s to be expected now. I expect women to do those things.” Boston voter Diane Aboagye-Marfo on the all-female mayor’s race. @GBHNews #Elections2021 #bospoli pic.twitter.com/yiXOXJAOx7
— Edgar B Herwick III (@ebherwick3) November 2, 2021
POSTED 11:45 AM
Happy Election Day from East Boston! @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/gqd0uGci9G
— Meghan H. Smith (@meghansmith55) November 2, 2021
POSTED 10:45 AM
GBH News photographer Meredith Nierman captures some of the scene at Cambridge City Hall.
POSTED 10:14 AM
Reporter Adam Reilly provides seven political subplots to watch in Boston—on election day and beyond. While the mayoral-race outcome will be top of mind for pretty much everyone watching Boston's election results, a bevy of other storylines are worth watching as well — on Tuesday and moving forward. Here are some of the biggest. [Read More...]
POSTED 9:30 AM
Voter Voices: Election 2021. As the city of Boston votes in this historic election, GBH News is asking citizens at the polls why they are voting, what they are most hopeful for, and what changes they would like to see in their communities. Hear what they have to say from polling stations across the city. [Read and Listen...]
