Some observers wonder if Ms. Wu’s political platform will be enough to carry it out during the November general election.
“People just want the city to work for them, they don’t want nice politics,” said Kay Gibbs, 81, who worked as a political aide to Thomas Atkins, the city’s first Black City councilor, and of Representative Barney Frank. The next mayor of Boston, she said, will have her hands full on the basics, taking control of powerful forces within an expanding city government.
“The electorate is smarter than we think and has certain interests that don’t extend to all these dreamy ideas of free public transportation and Green New Deal,” he said. “They will choose the person they believe is most capable.”
Boston is growing rapidly, with a rapid growth of its Hispanic and Asian populations. The percentage of non-Hispanic white residents, who now represent less than 45% of the population, has been reduced. And the percentage of black residents is also declining, falling to 19% of the population, from about 22% in 2010.
Mrs. Janey, who was then president of the City Council, became acting mayor in March after Martin J. Walsh became the country’s labor secretary and many assumed she would go to the general election. But she was cautious in her new role, largely following the script of the public appearances, and was damaged by criticism from her rival Mrs. Campbell, a Princeton-trained lawyer and activist activist.
On Monday, at a campaign stop, Ms. Janey said ownership had not necessarily shown an advantage.
“I would definitely say that, if anything, it’s a double-edged sword,” he said.
Municipal elections, especially preliminary ones, tend to have a lower turnout, whiter and older than the city in general. It was only in recent years that change has begun to affect Massachusetts, which has seen a number of nuisances for women of color progressives, said Steve Koczela, president of the MassInc Polling Group.
“This is the culmination of a lot of flexion of the new political muscle,” he said.