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Early Voting Begins In Boston's Preliminary Mayoral Election

BOSTON (CBS) -- Early voting for the preliminary mayoral election in Boston began Saturday. The field will be cut from five to two.

A new poll shows Michelle Wu has the lead going into the race. The MassINC Polling Group found she had 30% support.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey, Annissa Essaibi-George, and Andrea Campbell have less than half that amount.

John Barros, the only man still in the race, comes in fifth with four percent.

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Boston Mayoral Candidates as of Sept. 4 (WBZ-TV)

From Jamaica Plain to Roxbury to Dorchester, the mayoral candidates were out in full force. Annissa Essaibi George met with a group of voters at in Allston.

"When we think about our city, when we think about our city's future, it's about creating opportunities for our residents across every community. It's also about supporting locally-owned businesses," said Essaibi George.

Polling stations were not too busy this Labor Day Weekend. And Roxbury residents John and Patricia O'Neal, who are concerned about the Delta variant, took advantage of it.

"It's very convenient. I used to work the polls, and on Voting Day. If it's a campaign like this, it would be very crowded," said Patricia O'Neal.

19 percent of voters say they're still undecided.

"I'm still undecided, but it was great to speak with Michelle Wu and get her opinion on a few things, and still have some research to do on the other candidates," said one undecided voter.

Early voting runs until Friday, September 10.

"Our job is to make sure people realize that the September preliminary election is just as important as the November final election," said Wu.

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