Michelle Wu becomes 1st Asian American elected Boston mayor

• The victory of Wu, who is also the first person of color elected to the post, is seen as a dramatic turnaround for a city that nearly 50 years ago experienced violent racial unrest over busing, Axios' Russell Contreras notes.

Of note: Kim Janey became the first woman and person of color to lead the city earlier this year when she was named acting mayor after Marty Walsh resigned from the post to serve as President Biden's Labor secretary.

Catch-up fast: Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, became the frontrunner after September's preliminary election.

• The progressive city councilor kicked off her campaign early last year with a focus on climate action, racial justice and housing policy.

Driving the news: The face-off between the two women of color drew attention as the historic nature of the race became clear.

• Boston has been signaling the change from an Irish American-Italian American political machine stronghold for some time. In 2019, Boston elected the most diverse council in city history and the first with a majority of women.

The big picture: Wu will join a small but growing contingent of Asian American and Pacific Islander elected officials.

• AAPIs make up 2.4% of elected officials in citywide positions, and only 0.9% of all elected officials in the U.S., according to a Reflective Democracy Campaign report released in May.