2025 Boston City Council election
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13 seats on the Boston City Council | |||||||||||||
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 Composition of the Boston City Council by political party[a] | |||||||||||||
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| Elections in Massachusetts |
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 Massachusetts portal |
The 2025 Boston City Council election is scheduled to be held on November 4, 2025. A non-partisan preliminary election will be held on September 9, 2025, to narrow the field of qualified candidates for each seat to two candidates.[1] All 13 councillors from the nine districts and four councillors at-large are up for election. The election is to be held concurrently with the 2025 Boston mayoral election. Elections in Boston are officially nonpartisan.
Election schedule
[edit]Key dates relating to the election were as follows:
| August 30 | Last day for registration for primary election |
| September 2 | Last day to request mail ballot for primary election |
| September 9 | Preliminary election |
|---|---|
| October 25 | Last day for registration for general election |
| November 7 | General election |
| Source[2] | |
Background
[edit]This election will coincide with the 2025 Boston mayoral election with Incumbent Michelle Wu seeking re-election to a second term. All Members of the Boston City Council have been Democrats since the defeat of Independent At-Large Councilor Althea Garrison, who had automatically ascended to office after the resignation of former At-Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley to take office as US Representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district, by present incumbent Julia Mejia. As such the council is frequently defined as being divided into more Progressive members aligned with the Mayor and Moderate Members of the Council. The Progressive members hold a majority and are generally considered to include Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Henry Santana, Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Brian Worrell, Enrique Pepen, and Ben Weber. The more moderate members of the Council are Erin Murphy, Ed Flynn, and John FitzGerald.
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At-large
[edit]There are four at-large city council seats. Voters in the election can choose up to four candidates, and the top four vote-getters will become the councilors.
Declared
[edit]- Frank Baker, former District 3 councilor (2012–2024)[3]
- Ruthzee Louijeune, incumbent at-large city councilor[4]
- Marvin Mathelier, restauranteur[4]
- Julia Mejia, incumbent at-large city councilor[4]
- Erin Murphy, incumbent at-large city councilor[4]
- Will Onuoha, director of the Mayor's Office of Fair Housing and Equity[4]
- Henry Santana, incumbent at-large city councilor[4]
- Alexandra Valdez, director of the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs[4]
Failed to qualify
[edit]- Reggie Stewart, District 7 director of community relations[4]
- Clifton Braithwaite, 2023 at-large city council candidate[5]
District 1
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Gabriela Coletta Zapata, incumbent city councilor[5]
- Ricardo Rodriguez, realtor[5]
District 2
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Ed Flynn, incumbent city councilor[6]
- Brian Foley, South Boston resident and Trump 2024 campaign volunteer[7]
District 3
[edit]Declared
[edit]- John FitzGerald, incumbent city councilor[5]
- Lori Kaufmann, candidate for Republican State Committee in 2024[5][8]
- Barry Lawton, candidate for this district in 2023[5]
District 4
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Brian Worrell, incumbent city councilor[5]
- Juwan Skeens, candidate for Suffolk's 1st District in 2024[5]
District 5
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Enrique Pepen, incumbent city councilor[5]
- Sharon Hinton, director of Black Teachers Matter[5]
- Winston Pierre, former director of diversity for the City of Boston[5]
District 6
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Ben Weber, incumbent city councilor[5]
- Stephen Berry, Simmons University history professor[5]
District 7
[edit]City councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was first elected in 2021. In December 2024, Fernandes Anderson made national news when she was arrested on charges of corruption,[9] to which she pleaded guilty in May 2025.[10] Part of her plea deal was her resignation from the Boston City Council.[11][12]
Declared
[edit]- Said Abdirahman Abdikarim, director of outreach for African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE) and 2021 Boston City Council candidate[4]
- Said Ahmed[4]
- Mavrick Afonso,[4] staffer of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and past city staffer[13]
- Miniard Culpepper, pastor,[13] 2022 candidate for state senate in the 2nd Suffolk district,[14] and 2013 candidate for mayor[15]
- Samuel Hurtado, former advisor to Acting Mayor Kim Janey[4]
- Natalie Juba-Sutherland[13]
- Jerome King, past candidate for city council[13]
- Roy Owens,[13] pastor[16] perennial candidate[17]
Declined
[edit]- Tania Fernandes Anderson, incumbent city councilor
District 8
[edit]Incumbent Sharon Durkan is running unopposed, as no other candidates filed by the deadline. [5]
Declared
[edit]- Sharon Durkan, incumbent city councilor[5]
District 9
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Liz Breadon, incumbent city councilor[18]
- Pilar Ortiz, law department chief of staff for the City of Boston[18]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Officially nonpartisan
References
[edit]- ^ Election | Boston.gov www.boston.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Election Calendar" (PDF). Boston.gov. January 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Farrar, Molly. "Former Boston City Councilor Frank Baker to run for at-large seat". www.boston.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Who's running for Boston City Council? – The Bay State Banner". baystatebanner.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lavery, Trea (May 22, 2025). "Here's who's on the ballot for Boston mayor, City Council — so far". Retrieved May 22, 2025.
- ^ Griswold, Niki (January 11, 2025). "Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn decides against challenging Mayor Michelle Wu, opting to run for re-election to Council seat". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ Garrity, Kelly (December 18, 2024). "The Boston Races Already Underway". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ Mancini, Ryan. "Boston woman with history of antisemitic remarks loses Mass. GOP committee race".
- ^ Deehan, Mike (December 3, 2024). "Boston Councilor Fernandes Anderson faces federal investigation". Axios. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Farrar, Molly (May 5, 2025). "Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleads guilty to 2 federal charges". Boston. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Markos, Mary (May 7, 2025). "Boston city councilor explains why she hasn't resigned after guilty plea". Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Lavery, Trea (May 14, 2025). "Boston City Councilors renew calls for Fernandes Anderson to resign". Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Garrity, Kelly (May 21, 2025). "Let The Battle For City Hall Begin". Politico. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ "Miniard Culpepper". Ballotpedia. 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ Andrew Ryan; Wesley Lowery (May 22, 2013). "15 Remain In The Race For Mayor of Boston". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ "Satanists Can't Get An Invitation To Lead The Boston City Council In A Convocation, But One Virulent Homophobe Can". Universal Hub. March 6, 2019. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019.
- ^ Bedford, Tori (October 27, 2021). "Boston Council Race Pits Trailblazer Against Perennial Candidate". WGBH. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ a b {{|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/5/20/pilar-ortiz-city-council-run/ |title=City Employee Pilar Ortiz Declares Candidacy for Boston City Council |date=May 19, 2025 |date accessed=May 20, 2025 |publication=Harvard Crimson |last=Parker |first=Angelina}}