City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George appear set to face off in the Nov.

2 general election for mayor after claiming the top two spots in Tuesday’s preliminary race, setting up a historic contest between two women of color who stand at opposite ends of the political spectrum, in what will become a new era in Boston.

Both women announced they had secured a slot in the final, while Acting Mayor Kim Janey and Councilor Andrea Campbell made statements saying it appeared they had fallen short.

The declarations of victory and defeat were made by the candidates themselves, and not city officials, as part of a bizarre preliminary election night in which election officials delayed posting any results hours after the polls closed.

we already know what the choice is for the city of Boston — this is about a choice for our future,” she said.

“This is a choice about whether City Hall tackles our biggest problems with bold solutions, or we nibble around the edges of the status quo.”.

Across the city in Dorchester, Essaibi George danced on stage with friends and supporters at the Venezia restaurant, and told the crowd just after 11:30 p.m.

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2 general election for the first time in Boston’s 200-year history of electing mayors, a sea change for a city that has served as a bastion of white male political power, and that is still recovering from the wounds of its racial past.

“At City Hall — as the first woman and first Black mayor of Boston — we not only made history, but we made a difference,” she said.

The low level of interest in the race likely helped Essaibi George, who had built a solid base among voters who are most likely to cast a ballot in a preliminary election, according to a recent poll conducted by research group MassInc.

Preliminary municipal election turnouts are typically lower than other races and attract only the most consistent voters.

Those conditions did little to help Janey and Campbell, who had been in a fierce competition for second place with Essaibi George leading to Tuesday, and were dependent on a high voter turnout, according to the recent poll.

The voting results were below the 31 percent turnout the city saw in the last preliminary election for mayor, in 2013.

Walsh — an ally and close friend of Essaibi George, who grew up in the same Dorchester neighborhood — bested a crowded diverse field of candidates to advance to the final election.

What comes now is an ultimate, historic showdown between Wu, a flag bearer of the politically progressive movement that has taken hold in Boston and reshaped its ideological identity, and Essaibi George, who has taken a more conservative lane to focus on quality of life issues, such as public safety and improving schools.

An aide for Essaibi George told the Globe that the campaign was already preparing for a final between the two candidates, and would define Wu as a big picture progressive whose focus on topics such as the environment and transportation were unrealistic and unrelated to the day-to-day duties as mayor.

But Wu has ridden the very progressive moment that has led to an ideological shift in Boston, as voters identify as more liberal and progressive, according to recent polls.

A city councilor since 2014, and the first woman of color elected council president, she has also built a platform of addressing housing inequities, and addressing racial and economic disparities.

She’s also popular among newer and younger voters, in a city that has seen its population grow by over 60,000 people over the last decade, according to a recent Globe poll.

The matchup could also frame a city of shifting ideologies, pitting Boston’s traditional voting strongholds in West Roxbury, Dorchester, and South Boston, where Essaibi George’s support is strong, against new areas where residents have sought to set the city’s agenda, in Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, where Wu has dominated.

In recent weeks, Wu has picked up endorsements from several high-profile political figures, including Sheriff Steven Tompkins, state Representative Aaron Michlewitz, and City Councilor Lydia Edwards.

Mary Beth Marciano, 67, voted at noon Tuesday at City Hall for Essaibi George.

Earlier in the day, Nicki Kobacker reflected on the moment of history, as she cast her ballot at the Condon Community Center in South Boston and expressed optimism that the city would see a shift from the nepotism and good-ol’-boy network that have long permeated the city’s political scene