The 2013 Boston mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. Incumbent mayor Thomas Menino had declined to run for re-election to a sixth term. A non-partisan preliminary election was held on Tuesday, September 24, 2013. 12 candidates made the ballot to replace Menino, with state representative Marty Walsh and city councilor John R. Connolly advancing to the general election. Walsh was elected to his first term, defeating Connolly by 3% of the vote, and was inaugurated on Monday, January 6, 2014.
Background
Incumbent mayor Thomas Menino had held office ever since ascending to the mayoralty following the resignation of Raymond Flynn in 1993. In 2013, Menino opted against seeking what would have been his sixth elected term as mayor. He announced his decision not to seek reelection on March 27, 2013.
Without an incumbent seeking reelection, this made the 2013 election the first open election since 1984, thirty years earlier. Menino did not endorse a candidate.
Candidates
Candidates who advanced to general election
Candidates eliminated in the primary
Withdrew
Frank John Addivinola, Jr., candidate for state senate in 2010 and U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 (running for councilor-at-large) Lee Buckley Robert Cappucci, former Boston School Committee member and retired Boston Police officer (failed to get enough signatures) Miniard Culpepper, reverend Will Dorcena, activist (failed to get enough signatures) Althea Garrison, former state representative (ran for councilor-at-large) John Laing, businessman (failed to get enough signatures) Divo Rodrigues Monteiro, educator and poet (ran for city council in District 4) David Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports (failed to get enough signatures) Gareth R. Saunders, former city councilor (ran for councilor-at-large) Hassan A. Williams, candidate for state senate in 2010 Christopher G. Womack
Declined
Andrea Cabral, Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and Security and former Suffolk County Sheriff Sonia Chang-Díaz, state senator Richard A. Davey, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction Company Michael F. Flaherty, former city councillor (ran for City Council At-Large) Paul Grogan, president of The Boston Foundation Maura Hennigan, Suffolk County criminal courts clerk Russell Holmes, state representative Stephen J. Murphy, president of the Boston City Council (ran for reelection) Tito Jackson, city councillor (ran for reelection) Bill Linehan, city councillor (running for reelection) Stephen Lynch, U.S. Representative Ralph Martin, former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Menino, incumbent Mayor of Boston Matt O'Malley, city councillor (ran for reelection) Ayanna Pressley, city councillor (ran for reelection) James Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Marie St. Fleur, former state representative John M. Tobin, Jr., former city councillor
Primary
Campaign
Incumbent mayor Tom Menino had served since being elected to the position in 1993, making him the longest-serving mayor in Boston's history. The first candidate to announce a campaign for mayor was at-Large Boston City Councillor John R. Connolly in February 2013, who announced an intent to base his campaign on reforming public education and opposing the influence of the Boston Teachers Union. Connolly's campaign was considered to have little chance of succeeding if Menino decided to run for re-election, as the incumbent was highly popular in the city. In March, Menino announced that he would not be seeking re-election, stating that health issues were preventing him from carrying out his tasks as mayor to a satisfactory standard.
Soon after Menino's announcement, state representative Marty Walsh and at-large City Councillor Felix G. Arroyo announced that they would begin mayoral campaigns, both doing so on the same day. Walsh and Arroyo officially began their campaigns on April 10. However, the first candidate to officially join Connolly was Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, who did so on April 3. A day later City Councillor Rob Consalvo of Hyde Park also announced that he would run, while Dorchester activist Bill Walczak did the same on the 7th. Several other candidates, including City Councillors Michael P. Ross and Charles Yancey, former state representative Charlotte Golar Richie, and Boston School Committee member John Barros announced campaigns over the following weeks. In total, 12 candidates made the ballot for the preliminary election.