City Councilor Andrea Campbell said Friday she is "seriously considering" jumping in the 2021 race for Boston Mayor.
"If I decide to do this it will be because I feel this moment demands a different type of leadership to finally eradicate systemic racism and the inequities we see in the city of Boston," she said in an appearance on Boston Public Radio, "and to have a clear focus on solving generational inequity in the city of Boston."
Campbell has been on the council since 2015, where she primarily represents the neighborhoods of Dorchester and Mattapan. She has previously served as city council president. This year, she proposed a new independent civilian review board with more investigative powers than the city's current oversight panel that operates within the police department, and voted against the city's budget, which ultimately passed.
Fellow City Councilor Michelle Wu announced her candidacy for mayor last week. Campbell said she has not spoken directly to Wu, but said she "respects anyone who exercises the courage to run for political office," noting that "every poll and pundit" said she never had a chance when she took on an incumbent in her race for a city council seat in 2015.
Walsh has not yet confirmed he is seeking re-election.
A new GBH News poll conducted by the MassINC Polling Group asked registered voters who they would be most likely to support in the 2021 mayoral election if Wu, Walsh and Campbell all run. Forty-six percent said they would support Walsh, 23 percent said they would support Wu, and 4 percent said they would support Campbell. Eighteen percent didn’t know or were undecided, and 6 percent said they would prefer another candidate.
Campbell said she expects to make a decision in the next week, and said if she ultimately decides to jump in the race, "it will be because I feel called to do it."
