Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Monday that she and her husband are expecting their third child — a baby girl — in January.
This may be a new experience for the city, but not for Wu. Both of her sons — ages 9 and 7 — were born while she served as a city councilor. Wu said the pregnancy doesn't impact her plans to run for reelection.
"I've run two citywide campaigns within a year of giving birth, and both turned out great," Wu told reporters Tuesday. "It's a juggling act, but again, one that many families across the city will recognize and know."
The exciting announcement comes after the heartbreaking experience of two miscarriages since her youngest son was born.
"All signs are that this one is going great, but you never know," Wu said.
With mothers making up just 4% of the state legislature, Massachusetts ranks 32nd when it comes to representation, according to Liuba Grechen Shirley, CEO of the Vote Mama Foundation.
"Motherhood — especially in politics -- was always looked at as a liability," Shirley said. "But really, it's an asset.”
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Research shows voters worry about women's ability to balance their jobs and care for their children, according to the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, but the experience of raising a family appeals to voters when it comes to policy.
"I think that we will see true progress when an executive elected official like Mayor Wu is able to announce a pregnancy and nobody bats an eyelash," said Amanda Hunter, executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation.
Wu pushed for six weeks of paid parental leave during her very first term as a city councilor, but she doesn't plan on using it.
"In the past, given the unique nature of my job, I have not taken leave," Wu said. "But continue to be present in community and often just kind of have the little one along with me for the ride, as we've often experienced with my two boys."
