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Mayoral election in Boston, Massachusetts (2017)
2019 →
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| 2017 Boston mayoral elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: May 23, 2017 |
| Primary election: September 26, 2017 General election: November 7, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor and city council |
| Total seats up: 14 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
The city of Boston, Massachusetts, held an election for the mayor's office in 2017. Mayor Martin Walsh was re-elected to a second term, defeating City Councilman Tito Jackson in the general election on November 7, 2017, with 65 percent of the vote.
As of October 15, 2017, Walsh's campaign had raised over $2.3 million dollars, while Jackson had brought in about $234,000. Two polls released in October showed that about 60 percent of respondents favored Walsh and 24 percent favored Jackson. Walsh and Jackson defeated Robert Cappucci and Joseph Wiley in the primary election. Walsh received 62 percent of the vote in the primary, and Jackson received 29 percent.
Boston also held an election for 13 city council seats; click here for more information about those races. A primary election occurred on September 26, 2017, for the mayor's race and four city council races because more than two candidates filed to run for those positions. The two candidates in each race that received the most votes advanced to the general election on November 7, 2017.The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 23, 2017. Mayoral candidates needed to collect 3,000 signatures from registered voters in the city. The deadline for the Board of Elections Commissioners to certify the signatures was June 27, 2017.[1]
Elections
General election
Candidates
☑ Mayor Martin Walsh (i)
☐ City Councilman Tito Jackson
Results
| Mayor of Boston, General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Martin Walsh Incumbent |
65.37% | 70,197 |
| Tito Jackson | 33.97% | 36,472 |
| Write-in votes | 0.66% | 708 |
| Total Votes | 107,377 | |
| Source: City of Boston, "Official mayoral election results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Polling
| 2017 Boston Mayoral Election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Martin Walsh | Tito Jackson | Undecided/Refused | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Emerson College (Oct. 19-20, 2017) | 61% | 23% | 16% | +/-3.9 | 629 | ||||||||||||||
| WBUR (Sept. 27-Oct. 1, 2017) | 60% | 24% | 16% | +/-4.9 | 405 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 60.5% | 23.5% | 16% | +/-4.4 | 517 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Primary election
Candidates
☑ Mayor Martin Walsh (i)
☐ Robert Cappucci
☑ City councilman Tito Jackson
☐ Joseph Wiley
Results
| Mayor of Boston, Nonpartisan Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Martin Walsh Incumbent |
62.52% | 34,882 |
| Tito Jackson |
29.07% | 16,216 |
| Robert Cappucci | 6.70% | 3,736 |
| Joseph Wiley | 0.95% | 529 |
| Write-in votes | 0.77% | 428 |
| Total Votes | 55,791 | |
| Source: City of Boston, "Official mayoral primary election results," September 26, 2017 | ||
Polling
| 2017 Boston Mayoral Election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Martin Walsh | Robert Cappucci | Tito Jackson | Joseph Wiley | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||
| Emerson College (September 14-16, 2017) | 52% | 7% | 21% | 5% | 15% | +/-4.2 | 529 | ||||||||||||
| Suffolk University/Boston Globe (June 19-21, 2017) | 54% | 4% | 23% | 1% | 18% | +/-4.4 | 500 | ||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 53% | 5.5% | 22% | 3% | 16.5% | +/-4.3 | 514.5 | ||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance
General election
Primary election
Endorsements
The table below shows endorsements for the 2017 Boston mayoral election.
| Endorsements for Boston mayoral candidates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Martin Walsh | Tito Jackson | |
| U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D)[2] |  |
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| Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts[3] | |
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| JP Progressives[4] | |
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| The Boston Globe[5] | |
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| The Boston Herald[6] | |
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| Jonathan Kozol[7] | | ||
| Boston Food for Activists[7] | | ||
| U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D)[8] | |
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2017
The general election for mayor of Boston shared the ballot with general elections for all 13 seats on the Boston City Council.
Issues
Campaign forum
Mayor Martin Walsh and Councilman Tito Jackson participated in a debate at Hibernian Hall on October 11, 2017. In his opening remarks, Walsh said, "In the next four years we’re going to continue to strengthen Boston together, because we need to make sure that Boston is for all of us." In Jackson's opening remarks, he said, "I’m running for mayor, to become the next mayor of Boston, because Marty Walsh has made promises that he did not keep, and because he has forgotten the people that I represent, and all of those good people in the city who are committed to creating a more equitable and fair City of Boston."[9]
During the forum, the candidates discussed racism in the city. Jackson said there was racial inequality in Boston and criticized Walsh for not quickly addressing racial issues at Boston Latin School, which is part of the Boston Public Schools District. In March 2016, the U.S. Attorney's Office began an investigation into complaints of racism and inaction of administrators at the school.[10] "I would have got involved, but my opponent got two emails from the headmaster and didn't respond," said Walsh. Jackson said he showed the mayor documentation of racism at the school. "Your administration did nothing, and that actually showed that you actually didn't believe that black lives mattered at that point," said Jackson.[11]
On the topic of housing availability, Walsh said that one-fifth of the city was considered low-income housing. In response to the recent construction of high-rise buildings in Boston, Jackson said, "Most of the people who have purchased it are foreign investors, and they are not actually providing access to people in the city of Boston."[11]
About the city
- See also: Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital of Massachusetts. As of 2010, its population was 617,594.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Boston uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Boston, Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Boston | Massachusetts | |
| Population | 617,594 | 6,547,629 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 48 | 7,800 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 52.8% | 78.1% |
| Black/African American | 25.2% | 7.6% |
| Asian | 9.7% | 6.6% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0% |
| Other (single race) | 6.7% | 4.2% |
| Multiple | 5.3% | 3.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 19.8% | 11.8% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 87.2% | 90.8% |
| College graduation rate | 49.7% | 43.7% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $71,115 | $81,215 |
| Persons below poverty level | 18.9% | 10.3% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Boston mayoral election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Boston, Massachusetts | Massachusetts | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Boston, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed February 22, 2017
- ↑ Boston Magazine, "Elizabeth Warren Is Endorsing Marty Walsh," October 16, 2017
- ↑ The Rainbow Times, "Planned Parenthood Endorses Walsh for Boston Mayor," October 13, 2017
- ↑ Jamaica Plain News, "Read JP Progressives’ Endorsement of Mayor Walsh," October 17, 2017
- ↑ The Boston Globe, "A second term for Mayor Walsh," October 23, 2017
- ↑ Boston Herald, "Editorial: Walsh has earned a second term," October 25, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Daily Free Press, "Jackson campaign has new public endorsements," October 27, 2017
- ↑ necn.com, "Mass. Senator Ed Markey Endorses Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for Re-Election," October 28, 2017
- ↑ Daily Free Press, "Walsh, Jackson engage in first debate since announcing campaigns," October 12, 2017
- ↑ WBUR, "U.S. Attorney's Office To Investigate Civil Rights Complaints At Boston Latin School," March 2, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 WBUR, "Walsh And Jackson Face Off In Contentious First Mayoral Debate," October 12, 2017
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