2009 Boston mayoral election
Election in Massachusetts, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2009 Boston mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 3, 2009, between incumbent Mayor of Boston Thomas Menino, and Michael F. Flaherty, member of the Boston City Council and former Council president. Menino was re-elected to a fifth term, the first mayor to do so in Boston history. A nonpartisan municipal preliminary election was held on September 22, 2009, where Flaherty and Menino advanced to the general election.
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November 3, 2009
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  Menino:
50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Flaherty: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Tie: 40–50% | ||||||||||||||||
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31% of registered voters turned out to vote in the election.[1][2]
Campaign
Menino considered support from black voters as crucial to securing his re-election.[3] Despite occasionally being at political odds with black elected officials on the Boston City Council and in the state legislature, Menino had enjoyed strong support from black voters in all of his mayoral races.[4] In recognition of this, Menino held his campaign launch event at Hibernian Hall in the Dudley Square area of Roxbury and featured a number of prominent black public political figured at the launch (including State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, State Rep. Marie St. Fleur, and Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral).[3]
After the preliminary election, Flaherty and fellow-Councillor Sam Yoon, who had finished third, declared they had formed a ticket. If Flaherty were victorious, he vowed to appoint Yoon deputy mayor, a position that had not existed in Boston since the administration of Kevin White, who left office in 1984.[5][6] Kevin McRea also announced that he would endorse Flaherty.[7] Details of the position, including salary, were never finalized.
Following the preliminary election, Flaherty immediately began an aggressive campaign, attacking Menino as ineffectual.[8]
Candidates
Candidates who advanced to general election
| Candidate | Experience | Announced | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| The following candidates advanced to the general election held on November 3 | [9] | ||
_(1)_(cropped).jpg) Michael F. Flaherty |
Boston city councilor at-large since 2000 Former president of the Boston City Council (2002–2006) |
January 25, 2009 | [10] |
_(a).jpg) Thomas Menino |
Incumbent mayor of Boston since 1993 | April 22, 2009 |
[11] |
Candidates eliminated in the primary
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Primary election
Endorsements
Labor unions
- 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East[16]
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103[16]
- Service Employees International Union Local 615[16]
- UNITE HERE Local 26[16]
Organizations
Newspapers and publications
- The Boston Globe (Co-endorsement with Flaherty)[15]
Results
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas Menino | 41,086 | 50.52 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael F. Flaherty | 19,480 | 23.95 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sam Yoon | 17,207 | 21.16 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kevin McCrea | 3,350 | 4.12 | |
| Write-in | 199 | 0.24 | ||
| Total votes | 81,322 | 100 | ||
General election
Endorsements
Names in bold endorsed after the preliminary election.
State officials
Local officials
- Raymond Flynn, former Mayor of Boston[22]
- Sam Yoon, Boston City Councillor; former candidate for Mayor[6]
Labor unions
Newspapers and publications
Labor unions
- 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East[16]
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103[16]
- Service Employees International Union Local 615[16]
- UNITE HERE Local 26[16]
Organizations
Newspapers and publications
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Thomas Menino | 63,123 | 57.27 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael F. Flaherty | 46,768 | 42.43 | |
| Write-in | 331 | 0.40 | ||
| Total votes | 110,222 | 100 | ||
