Trying to break through in a pandemic Two stellar candidates are challenging Mayor Marty Walsh for the cityâs top job. Can they break through in the midst of a pandemic? By Yvonne Abraham Globe Columnist,Updated December 16, 2020, 6:14 p.m. Email to a Friend Boston City Councilors Andrea Campbell (left) and Michelle Wu. The Boston Globe Itâs difficult enough to run against an incumbent mayor in Boston. Throw in a pandemic, and you have the hardest of all hard slogs. But two candidates with impressive records and compelling personal stories are trying. City Councilors Andrea Campbell and Michelle Wu, each challenging Marty Walsh for the cityâs top job, have less than a year to convince voters that one of them would be a better leader for Boston than he has been.