By Mara Mellits, Special to the Reporter
City Council President Ruthzee Louijeuene won re-election handily Tuesday, finishing far out in front in a field of eight candidates. But she said she’s not celebrating — she’s getting back to work.
Topping her to-do list: exploring whether the city should operate grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods and fixing Boston’s housing crisis.
Louijeune was elected Tuesday to a third term, topping the slate with 54,303 votes, around 7,000 more than the second-place finisher, Julia Mejia. Fewer than a quarter of Boston voters cast ballots Tuesday, with Mayor Michelle Wu running unopposed. All four at-large City Council incumbents – including Erin Murphy, Julia Mejia and Henry Santana – won re-election.
The day after the election, Louijeune said she was energized by her big win.
“To think about 54,500 people know my name – I mean the idea of that is still sort of surreal, because I’m just a little girl from Mattapan,” Louijeune said.
Louijeune is a lifelong Bostonian, born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park. The daughter of Haitian immigrants, she worked as a lawyer before entering politics. Her parents and three sisters have always been on her side, she said.
“I couldn’t do this without an incredible family to support me,” Louijeune said.
Above, Councillor Louijeune with her parents on Election night 2025. Photo courtesy Louijeune campaign
Although Louijeune received the most votes Tuesday night, her win was overshadowed by the contest for fourth-place between At-Large Councillor Henry Santana and former District 3 Councillor Frank Baker. Baker ended up 15,000 votes short of Santana, coming in fifth.
After the election, Louijeune said she’s looking ahead to her next term and is excited about continuing to represent the city. She said the possibility of a future Congressional run isn’t on her mind right now, though she’s being floated as a possibility to replace Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s seat if she decides to run for U.S. Senate.
“I really love my job. I just got re-elected to the best job possible,” Louijeune said. “I’m gonna continue doing that, and I’m really excited about the prospect of continuing to represent the city.”
Emily Polston, Louijeune’s chief of staff, who’s worked for her since 2021, said she’d follow her anywhere.
“She’s going to be someone that continues to fight for Bostonians as long as the voters allow her to,” Polston said.
Louijeune raised a more than $245,000 in 2025 to fund her re-election, according to records kept by the Office of Political and Campaign Finance.
Planned Parenthood and the Environmental League of Massachusetts endorsed Louijeune, and Greater Boston’s large Haitian American community came together to support her, Polston said.
Louijeune said she’s getting straight back to work. First on her list is to explore the possibility of city-owned grocery stores and address the housing crisis. She said she’s also concerned about the federal government’s suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments, which 140,000 low-income Bostonians rely on to buy food. Most of these residents are in six zip codes including Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park and Roxbury.
A recent raid in Allston by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is also on her mind.
“We remain vigilant on letting people know their rights, on bystander training and investing in nonprofit organizations that are helping with legal resources for individuals who face a number of immigration legal issues,” Louijeune said.
Protests against the Trump administration must continue, Louijeune said, and the city council can fill in the gaps because it’s “what we’re called to do with the local government when our federal government is failing us.”
Boston political strategist Joyce Ferriabough Bolling of Roxbury said she’s a fan of Louijeune because she is true to her word.
“We’re going to need people who aren’t afraid to get it done,” Bolling said. “She can go anywhere that she wants to go from here, and I hope to see that she does.”
This story is part of a partnership between the Dorchester Reporter and the Boston University Department of Journalism.
