Boise Mayor Lauren McLean will keep her position after winning 55.4% of the votes. At her watch party, the atmosphere was festive throughout.
Arriving at the Lounge at the End of the Universe to the tune of Runs the World (Girls) by Beyonce, McLean was greeted by around 200 supporters, volunteers and staff. Many felt confident she would win, like Sophie Serio, one of the field organizers for the campaign.
“I think we're feeling really strong tonight,” she said. “We knocked 40,000 doors during this campaign and 15,000 this weekend talking to folks all across the city.”
Former police chief candidate Mike Masterson conceded around 11 p.m., with 43.4% of the votes. Back at the lounge, McLean supporters didn’t seem surprised by her win, including the mayor herself.
“I work with so many people where we disagree on a lot, but we can always find something that unites us, and that is this love for this place that we call home,“ Mclean said following her win.
Campaign supporters said they were drawn to her message of inclusivity. Alicia Cassarino, the great-great-granddaughter of Boise’s first Mayor, James Penny said she volunteered for the campaign because she liked Mclean’s campaign message.
“That it's a city for everybody and for everybody to feel welcome and have a home and a job here,” she said. “And that's the city I see. So I really want to support somebody that sees that same vision, too.”
Montoya Phipps-Gallegos door knocked for McLean during her first campaign in 2019 and again this year. He said this time around, folks seemed much more receptive to her message.
“I was always optimistic for the campaign, just because of going door to door and hearing how people talked about her,” he said, adding name recognition probably helped.
As the party wound down, McLean said she wanted to be mayor to all Boiseans, even those who didn’t vote for her.
