On Monday, Massachusetts State Rep. Jon Santiago announced he would be joining the growing pool of candidates campaigning to be Boston’s next mayor. 

“I’m running for mayor to lead Boston through this crisis, to a recovery rooted in equity and opportunity, because I know what it’s like to grow up in subsidized housing, to attend Boston Public Schools, to wonder if my family will be given a fair shot,” Santiago said in his campaign launch video, “Our Boston Story.”

Santiago has represented the state’s 9th Suffolk District, which includes Boston’s South End, parts of Roxbury, Back Bay and the Fenway, since 2019. He is an emergency room doctor at Boston Medical Center, a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve and previously served in the Peace Corps. 

Santiago joins city councilors Michelle Wu, Andrea Campbell, Annissa Essaibi George and Dorchester resident Dana Depelteau in what is shaping up to be the most diverse mayoral race in Boston’s history. 

With $159,000 in his campaign funds so far, Santiago is significantly behind city councilors Campbell and Wu, who each reported having over $740,000 on hand at the end of January. However, he is just ahead of councilor Essaibi George who last reported having $153,000 available at the end of January after announcing her candidacy Jan 28.