But some voters said they liked having a more moderate option in a progressive-leaning field, and Essaibi George walked a fine line last night between calling for change and casting several of the ideas of her progressive rival as too pie-in-the-sky to be achieved.

The mayor of Boston cannot mandate rent control,” Essaibi George said in two direct jabs at Wu and her policies.

In elevating Wu and Essaibi George, voters denied Acting Mayor Kim Janey a shot at a full term.

Janey became the first Black woman and first person of color to lead the city after former Mayor Marty Walsh was tapped by President Joe Biden to serve as Labor secretary.

All three Black candidates in the race — Janey, City Councilor Andrea Campbell and former city economic development chief John Barros — fell short Tuesday, realizing Black community fears that the failure to coalesce behind a single candidate would cause them all to lose out.

As district councilors, Janey and Campbell proved unable to overpower the citywide voter networks Wu and Essaibi George spent years cultivating through their at-large council races

While Janey had the advantage of the bully pulpit in Tuesday’s preliminary contest, her five-plus month tenure as acting mayor became a double-edged sword