"During the pandemic years, Zoom calls were politics, but I still often find myself on them, in the process meeting candidates for local offices around the country. It's a good analgesic for the wearying cynicism that is the hallmark of the moment, since these people are often idealistic, enthusiastic, and smart. But, once in a while, you encounter true political talent-something that is as rare but as obvious as, say, great athletic prowess or a deep musical gift."
"I know people who insist that when they first heard Barack Obama's keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, in Boston, they knew he would one day be President, and I confess that I had the same feeling when I first heard Wu. Bostonians picked her from a crowded field in that first run, and two weeks ago she essentially won a second term eight weeks before the election, beating the Democrat Josh Kraft."
Zoom calls during the pandemic became central to political organizing, allowing voters and volunteers to meet idealistic, energetic local candidates. Michelle Wu stood out on such a call, projecting intelligence and a practical kindness with the ability to address presented problems. Early impressions likened her rise to the instant recognition some felt for Barack Obama in 2004. Wu won Boston's mayoral primary decisively, earning seventy-two percent to Josh Kraft's twenty-three, and Kraft, heir to a wealthy owner, withdrew, leaving Wu likely unopposed on the November ballot.
Read at The New Yorker
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