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2025 Boston City Council election

The 2025 Boston City Council election was held on November 4, 2025. A non-partisan preliminary election was held on September 9, 2025, to narrow the field of qualified candidates for each seat to two candidates. All 13 councillors from the nine districts and four councillors at-large were up for election. The election was held concurrently with the 2025 Boston mayoral election. Elections in Boston are officially nonpartisan.

Election schedule

Key dates relating to the election were as follows:

Background

This election coincided 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.

At-large

There are four at-large city council seats. Voters in the election could choose up to four candidates, and the top four vote-getters will become the councilors.

Declared

  • Frank Baker, former District 3 councilor (2012–2024)
  • Ruthzee Louijeune, incumbent at-large city councilor
  • Marvin Mathelier, restauranteur
  • Julia Mejia, incumbent at-large city councilor
  • Erin Murphy, incumbent at-large city councilor
  • Will Onuoha, director of the Mayor's Office of Fair Housing and Equity
  • Henry Santana, incumbent at-large city councilor
  • Alexandra Valdez, director of the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs

Eliminated in preliminary election

  • Yves Mary Jean
  • Rachel Miselman

Failed to qualify

  • Reggie Stewart, District 7 director of community relations
  • Clifton Braithwaite, 2023 at-large city council candidate

Results

!colspan=1 rowspan=2 |Candidates !colspan=2 |Preliminary election !colspan=2 |General election |- !Votes !% !Votes !% |- | Ruthzee Louijeune | align="right" | 45,500 | align="right" | 18.7 | align="right" | 54,885 | align="right" | 19.2 |- | Julia M. Mejia | align="right" | 42,245 | align="right" | 17.4 | align="right" | 47,770 | align="right" | 16.7 |- | Erin J. Murphy | align="right" | 38,981 | align="right" | 16.0 | align="right" | 46,709 | align="right" | 16.4 |- | Henry A. Santana | align="right" | 30,670 | align="right" | 12.6 | align="right" | 44,206 | align="right" | 15.5 |- | Frank K. Baker | align="right" | 26,240 | align="right" | 10.8 | align="right" | 28,526 | align="right" | 10.0 |- | Alexandra E. Valdez | align="right" | 18,930 | align="right" | 7.8 | align="right" | 23,468 | align="right" | 8.2 |- | Marvin Mathelier | align="right" | 13,826 | align="right" | 5.7 | align="right" | 21,101 | align="right" | 7.4 |- | Will Onuoha | align="right" | 11,216 | align="right" | 4.6 | align="right" | 17,540 | align="right" | 6.2 |- | Yves Mary Jean | align="right" | 7,419 | align="right" | 3.0 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Rachel Miselman | align="right" | 7,134 | align="right" | 2.9 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Write-in | align="right" | 988 | align="right" | 0.4 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Total | align="right" | 243,149 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | 285,375 | align="right" | 100 |- | Turnout | align="right" | 93,168 | align="right" | | align="right" | 96,405 | align="right" |

District 1

Declared

Eliminated in preliminary

  • Ricardo Rodriguez, realtor

Results

!colspan=1 rowspan=2 |Candidates !colspan=2 |Preliminary election !colspan=2 |General election |- !Votes !% !Votes !% |- | Gabriela Coletta Zapata | align="right" | 7,021 | align="right" | 76.8 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Andretti McDuffie-Stanziani | align="right" | 1,352 | align="right" | 14.8 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Ricardo Rodriguez | align="right" | 704 | align="right" | 7.7 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Write-in | align="right" | 69 | align="right" | 0.7 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Total | align="right" | 9,146 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Turnout | align="right" | 10,459 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" |

District 2

Declared

Eliminated in preliminary

Results

!colspan=1 rowspan=2 |Candidates !colspan=2 |Preliminary election !colspan=2 |General election |- !Votes !% !Votes !% |- | Ed Flynn | align="right" | 8,250 | align="right" | 86.4 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Charles Delaney | align="right" | 629 | align="right" | 6.6 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Brian Foley | align="right" | 588 | align="right" | 6.2 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Write-in | align="right" | 81 | align="right" | 0.8 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Total | align="right" | 9,548 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Turnout | align="right" | 11,028 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" |

District 3

Declared

District 4

Declared

Eliminated in preliminary

Results

!colspan=1 rowspan=2 |Candidates !colspan=2 |Preliminary election !colspan=2 |General election |- !Votes !% !Votes !% |- | Brian Worrell | align="right" | 5,773 | align="right" | 81.4 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Helen Cameron | align="right" | 817 | align="right" | 11.5 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Juwan Skeens | align="right" | 457 | align="right" | 6.5 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Write-in | align="right" | 43 | align="right" | 0.6 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Total | align="right" | 7,090 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Turnout | align="right" | 7,831 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" |

District 5

Declared

  • Enrique Pepen, incumbent city councilor
  • Winston Pierre, former director of diversity for the City of Boston

Eliminated in preliminary

  • Sharon Hinton, director of Black Teachers Matter

Results

!colspan=1 rowspan=2 |Candidates !colspan=2 |Preliminary election !colspan=2 |General election |- !Votes !% !Votes !% |- | Enrique Pepen | align="right" | 8,008 | align="right" | 63.5 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Winston Pierre | align="right" | 2,954 | align="right" | 23.4 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Sharon Hinton | align="right" | 1,586 | align="right" | 12.6 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Write-in | align="right" | 55 | align="right" | 0.4 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Total | align="right" | 12,603 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Turnout | align="right" | 14,022 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" |

District 6

Declared

District 7

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, to which she pleaded guilty in May 2025. Part of her plea deal was her resignation from the Boston City Council.

Declared

  • Said Abdirahman Abdikarim, director of outreach for African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE) and 2021 Boston City Council candidate
  • Said Ahmed
  • Mavrick Afonso, staffer of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and past city staffer
  • Miniard Culpepper, pastor, 2022 candidate for state senate in the 2nd Suffolk district, and 2013 candidate for mayor
  • Samuel Hurtado, former advisor to former acting mayor Kim Janey

Eliminated in preliminary

Declined

Results

!colspan=1 rowspan=2 |Candidates !colspan=2 |Preliminary election !colspan=2 |General election |- !Votes !% !Votes !% |- | Said Coach Ahmed | align="right" | 1,155 | align="right" | 15.7 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Miniard Culpepper | align="right" | 1,102 | align="right" | 15.0 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Mavrick Afonso | align="right" | 1,082 | align="right" | 14.7 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Samuel Hurtado | align="right" | 1,057 | align="right" | 14.4 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Said Abdirahman Abdikarim | align="right" | 1,054 | align="right" | 14.3 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Roy Owens | align="right" | 528 | align="right" | 7.2 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Natalie Juba-Sutherland | align="right" | 463 | align="right" | 6.3 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Wawa Bell | align="right" | 380 | align="right" | 5.2 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Shawn Dwayne Nelson | align="right" | 228 | align="right" | 3.1 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Jerome King | align="right" | 142 | align="right" | 1.9 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Tchad Akilah Cort | align="right" | 119 | align="right" | 1.6 | bgcolor=lightgrey|  | bgcolor=lightgrey|  |- | Write-in | align="right" | 39 | align="right" | 0.5 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Total | align="right" | 7,349 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" | |- | Turnout | align="right" | 8,047 | align="right" | 100 | align="right" | | align="right" |

District 8

Incumbent Sharon Durkan ran unopposed, as no other candidates filed by the deadline.

Declared

District 9

Declared

  • Liz Breadon, incumbent city councilor
  • Pilar Ortiz, law department chief of staff for the City of Boston

Notes

References