Do we like them?

Do we like Michelle Wu?

Our score: 8 out of 10. Consistent record on trans rights, migrants and transit, with real local criticism and a couple of unresolved lawsuits holding her back from the top end.

Wu is the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants who grew up in Chicago. Profiles say she became the family's anchor when her mum needed support, ran a teahouse, then went to Harvard Law and into Elizabeth Warren's orbit. That's a long way from the usual political pipeline.

She worked for Boston's late mayor Tom Menino and then won an at-large council seat. In 2021 she became the first woman and the first person of colour elected mayor of Boston. In 2025 she ran for a second term unopposed after her challenger fell short, and was sworn in again in January 2026.

On the harm check she does well. As a councillor she and Ayanna Pressley moved to guarantee trans city workers health cover. As mayor she set up Boston's first Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement. Her opponents at Fox have grumbled about city-promoted events, but that's criticism of programs, not words of hers that hurt anyone.

On immigration she picked a fight with Washington and stuck to it. In 2025 she signed an order seeking information from ICE on arrests in the city, and the Justice Department sued Boston and her over its Trust Act. In May 2026 Judge Leo Sorokin dismissed that suit, mainly on standing grounds, and Wu welcomed it. The DOJ could still appeal.

On the day-to-day, she's been a fare-free buses evangelist since her council days, and the 2022 free bus pilot got riders. Housing is messier: she promised to push for rent control and got a lot of units approved, but costs stay brutal and many residents say Boston is harder to stay in.

The mud that sticks is local. The Boston Globe reported in May 2026 on Black Bostonians angry at City Hall, including over the White Stadium deal, though a Globe columnist argues it's a vocal group of long-time activists, not the whole community. A suspended city attorney also sued in late 2025, saying he was put on leave after he sought to run for mayor. Those claims are untested as far as we could find.