Chang-Diaz endorses Wu for mayor
Jamaica Plain State Sen. and gubernatorial hopeful Sonia Chang-Diaz endorsed Michelle Wu for the mayor of Boston during a rally in the South End on Saturday.
“I want vision and delivery in my candidate,” she said of her endorsement of Wu. “It is a status quo-preserving lie that we cannot have both, and that we have to choose between those two things. We’ve got both right here.”
Chang-Diaz was referencing Wu’s ideas that can be seen as too “pie-in-thesky,” such as free public transportation and extensive public housing. “I know that Michelle will be able to work with all levels of government to get things done because she has already been doing it,” noting that Wu is often “in the trenches” in working toward these policies.
Wu will face off against fellow City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George in the November mayoral election after topping the vote count with 35,888 votes to Essaibi-George’s 24,186 votes. The two women knocked out Andrea Campbell, who came in third, Acting Mayor Kim Janey, who came in fourth, and John Barros, who came in fifth.
Chang-Diaz, who became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 2008, announced in late June that she would be running for governor.
Aside from Chang-Diaz, former state Sen. Ben Downing and Harvard professor Danielle Allen, all Democrats, have all announced gubernatorial runs.
Former state Rep. Geoff Diehl has announced a run as a Republican. Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Attorney General Maura Healey, all potential candidates, have not yet announced their plans.