2025 Boston City Council election

2025 Boston City Council election

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13 seats on the Boston City Council
Majority party   Party Democratic Last election 13
Composition of the Boston City Council by political party [a]
City Council President before election Ruthzee Louijeune Elected City Council President TBD

The 2025 Boston City Council election is scheduled to be 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. ^[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

Key dates relating to the election were as follows:

2025 Boston election schedule

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

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.

Ruthzee Louijeune, council president at the time of the election

At-large

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

• 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]

Eliminated in preliminary election

• Yves Mary Jean
• Rachel Miselman

Failed to qualify

• Reggie Stewart, District 7 director of community relations ^[4]
• Clifton Braithwaite, 2023 at-large city council candidate ^[5]

Results

Candidates	Preliminary election [6]		General election
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Ruthzee Louijeune (i)	45,500	18.7
Julia Mejia (i)	42,245	17.4
Erin Murphy (i)	38,981	16.0
Henry Santana (i)	30,670	12.6
Frank Baker	26,240	10.8
Alexandra E. Valdez	18,930	7.8
Marvin Mathelier	13,826	5.7
Will Onuoha	11,216	4.6
Yves Mary Jean	7,419	3.0
Rachel Miselman	7,134	2.9
Write-in	988	0.4
Total	243,149	100
Turnout	93,168	100

District 1

Declared

• Andretti R. McDuffie-Stanziani
• Gabriela Coletta Zapata, incumbent city councilor ^[5]

Eliminated in preliminary

• Ricardo Rodriguez, realtor ^[5]

Results

Candidates	Preliminary election [6]		General election
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Gabriela Coletta Zapata (i)	7,021	76.8
Andretti McDuffie-Stanziani	1,352	14.8
Ricardo Rodriguez	704	7.7
Write-in	69	0.7
Total	9,146	100
Turnout	10,459	100

District 2

Declared

• Charles Delaney, Independent candidate from South Boston ^[7]
• Ed Flynn, incumbent city councilor ^[8]

Eliminated in preliminary

• Brian Foley, South Boston resident and Trump 2024 campaign volunteer ^[9]

Results

Candidates	Preliminary election [6]		General election
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Ed Flynn (i)	8,250	86.4
Charles Delaney	629	6.6
Brian Foley	588	6.2
Write-in	81	0.8
Total	9,548	100
Turnout	11,028	100

District 3

Declared

• John FitzGerald, incumbent city councilor ^[5]
• Lori Kaufmann, candidate for Republican State Committee in 2024 ^{[5] [10]}
• Barry Lawton, candidate for this district in 2023 ^[5]

District 4

Declared

• Helen Cameron
• Brian Worrell, incumbent city councilor ^[5]

Eliminated in preliminary

• Juwan Skeens, candidate for Suffolk's 1st District in 2024 ^[5]

Results

Candidates	Preliminary election [6]		General election
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Brian Worrell (i)	5,773	81.4
Helen Cameron	817	11.5
Juwan Skeens	457	6.5
Write-in	43	0.6
Total	7,090	100
Turnout	7,831	100

District 5

Declared

• Enrique Pepen, incumbent city councilor ^[5]
• Winston Pierre, former director of diversity for the City of Boston ^[5]

Eliminated in preliminary

• Sharon Hinton, director of Black Teachers Matter ^[5]

Results

Candidates	Preliminary election [6]		General election
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Enrique Pepen (i)	8,008	63.5
Winston Pierre	2,954	23.4
Sharon Hinton	1,586	12.6
Write-in	55	0.4
Total	12,603	100
Turnout	14,022	100

District 6

Declared

• Ben Weber, incumbent city councilor ^[5]
• Stephen Berry, Simmons University history professor ^[5]

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, ^[11] to which she pleaded guilty in May 2025. ^[12] Part of her plea deal was her resignation from the Boston City Council. ^{[13] [14]}

Declared

• 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, staffer of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and past city staffer ^{[4] [15]}
• Miniard Culpepper, pastor, ^[15] 2022 candidate for state senate in the 2nd Suffolk district, ^[16] and 2013 candidate for mayor ^[17]
• Samuel Hurtado, former advisor to former acting mayor Kim Janey ^[4]

Eliminated in preliminary

• Natalie Juba-Sutherland ^[15]
• Jerome King, past candidate for city council ^[15]
• Roy Owens, ^[15] perennial candidate, ^[b] , pastor ^[22] educator, ^[c] , former Department of Public Welfare social worker, former Massachusetts Department of Corrections employee ^[18]

Declined

• Tania Fernandes Anderson, former city councilor (2022–25)

Results

Candidates	Preliminary election [6]		General election
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Said Coach Ahmed	1,155	15.7
Miniard Culpepper	1,102	15.0
Mavrick Afonso	1,082	14.7
Samuel Hurtado	1,057	14.4
Said Abdirahman Abdikarim	1,054	14.3
Roy Owens	528	7.2
Natalie Juba-Sutherland	463	6.3
Wawa Bell	380	5.2
Shawn Dwayne Nelson	228	3.1
Jerome King	142	1.9
Tchad Akilah Cort	119	1.6
Write-in	39	0.5
Total	7,349	100
Turnout	8,047	100

District 8

Incumbent Sharon Durkan is running unopposed, as no other candidates filed by the deadline. ^[5]

Declared

• Sharon Durkan, incumbent city councilor ^[5]

District 9

Declared

• Liz Breadon, incumbent city councilor ^[23]
• Pilar Ortiz, law department chief of staff for the City of Boston ^[23]

Notes

1. Officially nonpartisan
2. Roy Owens is considered a perennial candidate by Boston media. ^{[18] [19]} He had run for office many times prior to 2025, including: ^{[20] [21]}
   • 19 prior campaigns for Boston City Council 7th district: 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2009 (special election), 2009 (regular election), 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023
   • 3 campaigns in at-large Boston City Council elections: 2003, 2005, 2021
   • 1 campaign as the Republican nominee for Massachusetts House of Representatives' 9th Suffolk district in 2024
   • 1 campaign as an independent candidate for Massachusetts House of Representatives' 5th Suffolk district in 2022
   • 7 campaigns in Democratic primaries for Massachusetts House 5th Suffolk district: 1988, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2018
   • 3 campaigns in Democratic primaries for Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Suffolk district: 2012, 2014, 2016
   • 1campaign in a Republican primary for Massachusetts Senate's 1st Suffolk district in 1990
   • 1 campaign as an independent candidate for Massachusetts's 9th congressional district in 2020
3. Roy Owens Owens has previously worked as a teacher in Boston Public Schools and Cathedral High School ^[18]

References

1. Election | Boston.gov www.boston.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
2. "2025 Election Calendar" (PDF). Boston.gov. January 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
3. Farrar, Molly. "Former Boston City Councilor Frank Baker to run for at-large seat". www.boston.com.
4. "Who's running for Boston City Council? – The Bay State Banner". baystatebanner.com.
5. Lavery, Trea (May 22, 2025). "Here's who's on the ballot for Boston mayor, City Council — so far" . Retrieved May 22, 2025.
6. "Unofficial Election Results". City of Boston. September 10, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025– via boston.gov.
7. BALLOT POSITION DRAWING FOR PRELIMINARY MUNICIPAL ELECTION SEPTEMBER 9, 2025| Boston.gov www.boston.gov. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
8. 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.
9. Garrity, Kelly (December 18, 2024). "The Boston Races Already Underway". Politico. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
10. Mancini, Ryan. "Boston woman with history of antisemitic remarks loses Mass. GOP committee race".
11. Deehan, Mike (December 3, 2024). "Boston Councilor Fernandes Anderson faces federal investigation". Axios. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
12. Farrar, Molly (May 5, 2025). "Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleads guilty to 2 federal charges". Boston. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
13. Markos, Mary (May 7, 2025). "Boston city councilor explains why she hasn't resigned after guilty plea" . Retrieved May 19, 2025.
14. Lavery, Trea (May 14, 2025). "Boston City Councilors renew calls for Fernandes Anderson to resign" . Retrieved May 19, 2025.
15. Garrity, Kelly (May 21, 2025). "Let The Battle For City Hall Begin". Politico. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
16. "Miniard Culpepper". Ballotpedia. 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
17. Andrew Ryan; Wesley Lowery (May 22, 2013). "15 Remain In The Race For Mayor of Boston". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
18. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
19. Bedford, Tori (October 27, 2021). "Boston Council Race Pits Trailblazer Against Perennial Candidate". WGBH. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
20. "Roy Owens (Massachusetts)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
21. "PD43+ » Candidate Profile: Roy A. Owens (R)". electionstats.state.ma.us (Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth). Retrieved September 18, 2025.
22. "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.
23. Parker, Angelina (May 19, 2025). "City Employee Pilar Ortiz Declares Candidacy for Boston City Council". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved May 20, 2025.