Ayanna Pressley upsets Capuano in the Massachusetts House Race

Ms. Pressley, who in 2009 became the first black woman elected to the Boston City Council, overcame a powerful training of the Massachusetts political class. Capuano, 66, who has held the position for 20 years, has been approved by almost all major political figures, including Mayor Martin J. Walsh of Boston, who deployed his vast political machine on behalf of M Capuano.

"This is a wake up call launched in November by all officials," said Mary Anne Marsh, a Boston-based Democratic strategist. "We have been in an election cycle of change for years. But Trump may have opened the door to all these young candidates, women, people of color, because voters want his antithesis. "

Ms. Pressley's victory, the margin of victory, and the historical nature of her candidacy will not fail to reverberate in Boston, a city whose heavy racial history is tied to its national reputation. Pressley said Democrats across the state have discouraged him from opposing Capuano, and that John Lewis, a civil rights legend and long-time member of the Georgian Congress, has staged a campaign event in November. may. Still, Ms. Pressley has had a strong participation among Boston's minority communities in history.

His slogan, "change can not wait," was a nod to those who said his candidacy disrupted the traditional order of Boston politics, she said. It was also a rallying cry for the state's only minority minority district – that it should have a representative that reflects the diversity of the community.

Political observers said victory was the biggest sign yet that a "new Boston" was emerging in the shadow of the historically white, politically-driven, political establishment. unions. This new electorate is driven by minorities, immigrants and young students who have flocked to start-ups and technology industries.

"It was a good time to give a chance to someone who is not a white man," said Linus Falck-Ytter, 26, a software developer, after voting in Cambridge. "And I liked that she speaks more openly about helping underrepresented communities."