Here’s who will be on the ballot for the 2025 City Council election

Local News

The preliminary election narrowed down candidates before the general election Nov. 4.

By Sana Muneer

September 10, 2025 | 12:25 AM

4 minutes to read

While Boston residents weighed mayoral candidates during Tuesday’s preliminary election, residents also picked which names should be on the ballot in November for City Council seats.

The preliminary election narrowed down candidates before the general election Nov. 4.

The councilors who represent districts 3, 6, 8, and 9 are running unopposed, and were not featured in the preliminary election.

Here are the candidates that will move forward to the general election on Nov. 4, according to the City of Boston’s unofficial election results as of Tuesday night. While no council races had been called as of Tuesday night, districts had between 65% and 100% of precincts reporting their results as of midnight.

At-large city councilor

With Frank Baker attempting to return to the council and going neck-and-neck with incumbent Henry Santana, some have kept a close eye on the at-large city councilor race.

All four incumbents ran for re-election, and as of 11 p.m., Ruthzee Louijeune was the front-runner. Eight candidates will progress to the general election; voters will get to choose four candidates in November.

Ruthzee Louijeune

Louijeune was on track to finish first in the race for at-large city councilor, with 17.65% of the vote.

An incumbent, she was first elected in 2021 and was unanimously elected Council President in her second term. She still serves as Council President today. Louijeune went to Harvard and previously worked for Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

She is the first Haitian-American to serve on the Council.

Julia M. Mejia

Mejia was a close second in the race for at-large city councilor with 17.01% of the vote as of 11:45 p.m.

An incumbent, she was first elected to the City Council in 2019 by a single vote.

Erin J. Murphy

Murphy is an incumbent, and has served on the City Council since 2021. She is considered a moderate voice on the Council, and has called for more transparency from the Wu administration.

Murphy was trailing just behind Louijeune and Mejia, with 16.56% of the vote.

Henry A. Santana

Santana was pulling in front of Baker as of 12:15 a.m. Wednesday with 12.59% of the vote.

Santana is an incumbent who was elected to the City Council in 2023. A Dominican immigrant, he served as the director of Wu’s Office of Civic Organizing.

Frank K. Baker

Baker had 11.29% of votes as of 12:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Baker, a Dorchester native, served on the Council representing District 3 for 12 years. He decided against running for reelection in 2023.

Alexandra E. Valdez

Valdez had 7.71% of votes by 12:15 a.m Wednesday.

An immigrant from the Dominican Republic, Valdez currently serves as director of Boston’s Office of Cultural Affairs. She said she has worked at City Hall for 10 years.

Marvin Mathelier

Mathelier had 5.47% of the votes as of 12:15 a.m. Wednesday.

A small business owner and a member of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council, he is in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Will Onuoha

Onuoha had 4.75% of the votes as of 12:15 a.m. Wednesday.

He currently serves as assistant general counsel and director of health and safety for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, and has worked in City Hall for almost 20 years.

District 1 city councilor

Gabriela Coletta Zapata

Zapata wasset to secure a spot on November’s ballot in a landslide as of 11 p.m., with 76.96% of the vote.

An incumbent and East Boston native, she joined City Council in 2022 after winning an election to replace then-City Councilor Lydia Edwards. Edwards is now a state senator.

Andretti R. McDuffie-Stanziani

McDuffie-Stanziani was miles behind Zapata with 14.56% of the vote as of 11 p.m., but further ahead of Ricardo Rodriguez, who garnered just 7.75%.

McDuffie-Stanziani said on social media he would not be actively campaigning for the seat.

Rodriguez described himself as a Republican when filing paperwork to run, but does not have a website or social media related to his City Council campaign.

District 2 city councilor

Edward Flynn

Incumbent Ed Flynn triumphed over his competitors, with 4,608 votes over runner-up Delaney’s 346, as of 11 p.m.

The son of former Mayor Raymond Flynn, Flynn has served on the City Council since 2017. He is known for being an outspoken member of the Council, and is vocal about the Mass. and Cass area.

Charles Jeffrey Delaney

Delaney garnered 6.63% of the votes as of 12:15 a.m. Wednesday.

He does not appear to have a website or social media profiles related to his campaign for City Council.

District 4 city councilor

Brian Worrell

Worrell received 81.31% of the vote as of 11 p.m.

An incumbent who was elected in 2021, Worrell is a small business owner and known for chairing the Ways and Means Committee.

Helen Cameron

Cameron, with 11.98% of the vote as of 11 p.m., trailed far behind Worrell.

Listed as a Republican on paperwork, Cameron does not appear to have a website or social media profiles related to her campaign for City Council.

District 5 city councilor

Enrique Pepén

Pepén dominated the race, with 61.78% of the vote as of 11 p.m.

An incumbent who was first elected to the City Council in 2023, Pepén worked for former City Councilor Tito Jackson and former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy II.

Winston Pierre

Pierre had garnered 24.60% of the vote, almost double of runner-up Sharon L. Hinton’s about 13%.

Pierre is a Haitian immigrant, and has experience with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and the Boston Police Cadet Program. 

District 7 city councilor

In the most contested race, the contenders for the District 7 City Council spot were extremely close Tuesday night.

Mavrick Afonso

In a tight race, Afonso lead with 15.45% of the vote just after midnight Wednesday.

He currently works in the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and is focused on strengthening the BPS system and affordable housing.

Samuel Hurtado

Hurtado was positioned to take the second spot on the ballot for District 7, with 14.93% of the vote. He is co-founder of South Boston’s en Acción, a group that advocates for tenant rights.

He works for the city’s Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet, and also served as an advisor to former acting Mayor Kim Janey.

However, Said Coach Ahmed was narrowly behind Hurtado with 14.84% of the vote.