| Election Name: | 2017 Boston mayoral election |
| Country: | Boston |
| Type: | Presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2013 Boston mayoral election |
| Previous Year: | 2013 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Next Election: | 2021 Boston mayoral election |
| Next Year: | 2021 |
| Image1: | 50 Cities Initiative Launch Boston - 19312021068 (Marty Walsh a).jpg |
| Candidate1: | Marty Walsh |
| Party1: | Nonpartisan politician |
| Popular Vote1: | 70,197 |
| Percentage1: | 65.37% |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Marty Walsh |
| After Election: | Marty Walsh |
| Candidate2: | Tito Jackson |
| Party2: | Nonpartisan politician |
| Popular Vote2: | 36,472 |
| Percentage2: | 33.97% |
| Map Size: | 260px |
| Turnout: | 27.80% 10.05 pp |
The Boston mayoral election of 2017 was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, to elect the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. Incumbent Democratic mayor Marty J. Walsh won re-election to a second term, defeating District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson,[1] and two long-shot candidates, Robert Cappucci and Joseph Wiley.[2] [3]
A non-partisan preliminary election was held on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, with Walsh and Jackson advancing into a November runoff election.[4] In the November election, Walsh secured a landslide victory, winning by a two-to-one margin.[5] A total of 109,034[6] of the city's approximately 392,000 registered voters cast a ballot in the November election. The voter turnout of 27.80%[6] was down ten percentage points from the 2013 mayoral election, which generated more excitement as the first Boston mayoral race in a generation without an incumbent.[7]
| Candidate | Experience | Announced | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The following candidates advanced to the general election held on November 7 | ||||
Tito Jackson | Boston city councilor from district 7 since 2011 | [8] | ||
Marty Walsh | Incumbent mayor since 2014 | [9] | ||
| Candidate | Experience | Announced | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The following candidates were eliminated in the primary election and did not advance to the general election | [10] | |||
| Robert Cappucci | Former Boston School Committee member Candidate for mayor in 2013 | [11] | ||
| Joseph Wiley | Insurance worker | [12] | ||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | class=small | error | Robert Cappucci | Tito Jackson | Marty Walsh | Joseph Wiley | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk University/Boston Globe[13] | June 2017 | 500 RV | ± 4.4% | 4% | align=center | 23% | align=center | 54% | 1% | 18% | |
| Emerson College[14] | September 14–16, 2017 | 529 LV | ± 4.2% | 7% | align=center | 24% | align=center | 60% | 5% | – |
By October 2017, ten of the 13 Boston City Council members endorsed Walsh for re-election. Ayanna Pressley remained neutral due to her husband being employed by the mayor, and Andrea Campbell declined to comment on her preference.[15]
The editorial boards of both of Boston's major daily newspapers endorsed Walsh, with The Boston Globe editorial board endorsing Whim for a second time, citing his success in handling housing and the city's vibrancy during his first term.[16] The Boston Herald editorial board also endorsed Walsh, saying the newspaper was wrong not to give their endorsement to Walsh in 2013.[17]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | class=small | error | Tito Jackson | Marty Walsh | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College | September 14–16, 2017 | 529 LV | ± 4.2% | 26% | align=center | 55% | 19% | |
| WBUR-FM[18] | September 27 – October 1, 2017 | 405 | ± 4.9% | 24% | align=center | 60% | 16% | |
| Emerson College[19] | October 19–20, 2017 | 532 LV | ± 4.2% | 23% | align=center | 61% | 16% |