You are Here: Diversity in Boston Mayor Candidates

Boston has never seen a non-white mayor. This year, six out of the twelve candidates are people of color. The last time Boston got this close was in 1983, when African American Mayoral candidate Mel King made it to the preliminaries. It has taken thirty years for Boston to have such a radically diverse group of candidates. 

“When I look at the democracy of Boston, for example, this is a city where the majority of people are not White anymore, but that democracy has been folding for awhile now. The other reason I wouldn’t frame the question why has it taken so long, although one could say that if we look at other cities, perhaps, but here in Boston, we had some major breakthroughs over the years that we sometimes forget about. - James Jennings, Professor at Tufts University PH.D in Political Science”

Tim Davis, researcher of city demographics and community change says changes in Boston have made the city more transparent. He says in 1990, the white voter population percentage has declined by over 10%. People of color make up half of the total population in Boston and candidates have to appeal to this broader audience. 

“There’s still needs to be candidates that still need to cross the aisles as you might say racially in order to get support and win elections. Although it is becoming more and more true that no matter your race, you need to be able to cross racial lines in order to win elections - Tim Davis, researcher of demographics and community change”

Listen to experts sharing their insight on how Boston's demographics have changed to a minority-majority city and it will affect the city politically.