Rep. Pressley Reflects On Loss By Black Mayoral Candidates; No Endorsement Yet

On Friday’s Boston Public Radio, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) spoke optimistically about the future of Black representation in Massachusetts politics, despite losses by all three Black candidates vying to be Boston mayor in Tuesday’s preliminary election.

“I think it’s important to sit in the victory and acknowledge that three tremendously qualified, thoughtful, dynamic Black candidates were in this field,” she told hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan. “Each of them offered a vision for this city and they spoke directly, really, to some of the most pressing issues facing our communities as well as amplifying issues oft-ignored.”

Boston City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George beat out Andrea Campbell, John Barros and acting Mayor Kim Janey. Bostonians will choose between Wu and Essaibi George in the November 2 general election, paving the way for Boston to have its first duly-elected non-white, non-male mayor in the city’s history.

After Tuesday’s results became apparent, Pressley tweeted that “history isn't made on one Election Day, or even one election cycle."

The thread continued, "no matter the results tonight, those candidates and current officeholders, their families, their staff and supporters have changed our city forever and for good, through their commitment, their courage, and their sweat equity.”

Speaking on GBH, Pressley harked back to her early days in politics as an organizer for Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, and said leaders ought to be prioritizing what she called "building the bench."

“It’s not just about the candidates who put their name on the ballot, but the people behind them,” she said. “We have to continue to grow that bench and be just as intentional about the Black fundraisers and strategists and operatives, and field organizers — and there were a number of them playing a pivotal role on these campaigns.

It wasn't all gloom for Black candidates on Tuesday, and Pressley did commend the advancement by some candidates vying for district and at-large Boston City Council seats. She also took a moment to celebrate the historic tenure of acting Mayor Kim Janey.

"Mayor Janey is a trailblazer," she said. "She’s the first woman of color to lead our city, she took office in an unprecedented moment. No campaign is easy, no matter what the pundits will say about incumbency, or poll numbers or anything else."

Pressley declined to say who she voted for on Tuesday, or whether she'd be endorsing Wu or Essaibi George. "When there is something to share, I will call you,” she joked.

Pressley’s Friday appearance also coincided with the release of her formal letter to President Joe Biden, written alongside Congresswoman Nydia M. Velásquez (D-NY). The statement is a call on the Biden Administration to “immediately halt deportations to Haiti and take urgent action to address the concerns of the Haitian Diaspora,” following last month’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

The congresswoman said her appeal to the president, who allowed for the resumption of Haitian deportations Wednesday, is an extension of the message of #BlackLivesMatter.

“For those that would say Black lives matter, I just want to make something emphatically clear here,” she said. “In my Black Lives Matter agenda, it never included a plaza painted 'Black Lives Matter'.”

"I appreciate that. But that’s not the work — it’s moments like this. Critical, tragic inflection points like this where we have to stand up, and truly affirm that Black lives matter," she said. "And that is around the globe.”