Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu announces mayoral run

BOSTON (AP) — Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu officially announced on Tuesday that she is mounting a campaign for mayor.

Wu made the long-rumored announcement in a two-minute campaign video.

“Business as usual has been failing Bostonians since well before the pandemic, and COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated deep inequities across our city,” Wu, 35, said. “In this moment of crisis, it’s not only possible but necessary to reimagine community-based leadership with the vision and conviction to act.”

Current Mayor Marty Walsh, first elected in 2013, has not yet said whether he will run for a third term.

Wu, who lives in the city’s Roslindale neighborhood, is a Chicago native and a graduate of Harvard Law School who was first elected to the City Council at-large in 2013. The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants became the first woman of color to serve as the city council’s president in 2016.

The mayoral election is next year.