Boston mayoral race

When Josh Kraft kicked off his campaign Feb. 4 at the Prince Hall Grand Lodge in Grove Hall, the significance of the venue was not lost on the largely African American crowd that turned out.

With at-large City Councilors Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu the two finalists in the race for the mayor’s seat, activists and elected officials in the city’s Black, Latino and Asian communities are facing tough decisions on whom and whether to endorse for the Nov. 2 election.

Boston Mayor Kim Janey picked up key endorsements last week from the prominent Arroyo family as well as a leading progressive state legislator, boosting her campaign to hold on to power at City Hall in a close mayoral contest.

Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey celebrated the 100th day since her swearing-in ceremony last Friday at the Museum of African American History on Beacon Hill.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey led the field of the six major mayoral candidates in fundraising for May with $162,794, but remains behind Michelle Wu and Andrea Campbell in total cash raised. The two city councilors each have raised about $1.2 million.

Nothing sparks political ambitions more than an open seat. In Boston’s municipal elections this year, the departure of former Mayor Martin Walsh and those of the four city councilors who are among those vying for the open mayoral seat have generated a bumper crop of candidates.

Boston’s six mayoral candidates, speaking last Thursday at a racial justice forum sponsored by the NAACP, offered competing ideas for closing the city’s racial wealth gap and compelling developers to comply with requirements for hiring local and diverse residents for construction jobs.

With the emergence of social media in the last 20 years, the announcement video has become a staple of local and national political campaigns.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey announced her candidacy for mayor Tuesday morning, releasing a campaign video that depicts her journey on public transit from her Copeland Street home in Roxbury to City Hall, interspersed with clips of past mayoral candidates including Tito Jackson, Charlotte Golar Richie and Mel King.

There has been some call for a mayor who is both Black and female. Who will emerge in the remaining eight months?

At-large City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George announced her candidacy for mayor last Thursday, with East Boston High School as a backdrop amid a light snowfall.

Dozens of individuals and representatives of civil rights, voter rights and other advocacy groups testified Tuesday in support of a home rule petition to skip a special election to fill the mayor’s seat soon to be vacated by Martin Walsh.