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Philanthropist Josh Kraft suspended his run for mayor of Boston on Thursday, after incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 dominated the vote in the preliminary election.
Wu received over 70 percent of the vote compared to Kraft, who garnered only 23 percent. Recent polls from Emerson College Polling revealed a 50 point lead in Wu’s favor ahead of the race.
“When I kept looking at the next eight weeks, the negativity, and all that it was going to be about, I realized, ‘wow, I can do more.’ I can make a better impact for the residents of the city of Boston,” Kraft said in an interview with a local news channel, announcing the suspension of the campaign.
Kraft, son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, faced criticism throughout his campaign for his lack of political experience. He has instead focused his campaign on his three decades of philanthropy work in the city, where he led the Boys and Girls Club of Boston and the New England Patriots Foundation, a non-profit established by his family.
Kraft’s top campaign advisers parted ways with the campaign days before the preliminary election, around the time they confirmed that Kraft was pouring millions of his own funding into his campaign effort.
Kraft, who raised a total of $6.8 million dollars through August, said he will now be funneling his campaign funds into non-profit work with drug addiction prevention organizations the Gavin Foundation and The Phoenix to address “the human tragedy and public safety crisis of Mass and Cass,” referring to the intersection of Massachusetts Ave. and Melnea Cass Boulevard, which is known for prevalent drug use. He will also donate funds to Operation Exit, a program to assist formerly incarcerated individuals with finding employment.
Kraft joined the race in February, shortly before Wu launched her re-election campaign in April. He immediately prodded the mayor for “big campaign promises” — including rent control, revamping Boston Public School facilities, and eliminating MBTA fees for Boston residents — that the mayor has yet to fulfil, accusing Wu of being “zero for three” at his campaign launch in Dorchester.
Kraft also slammed Wu as a “leader that just does not listen” in his campaign announcement.
“Right now, we face some serious, serious challenges — challenges that Mayor Wu has not risen to,” Kraft added in February.
Wu and Kraft have differed over several local issues throughout their respective campaigns. Kraft’s campaign criticized Wu for the expansion of Boston’s bike network, and has accused her administration of stalling housing construction by slowing the permitting process for developers. He has also denounced Wu’s multimillion-dollar plans to rehabilitate White Stadium for its cost.
But Wu has gained popularity in the city for frequently standing her ground under fire from the federal government. She appeared before the House Oversight Committee earlier this year where she defended Boston’s sanctuary city policies against harsh questioning from Republicans.
Since her congressional appearance, Wu has continued to take a vocal stance against the Trump administration. She is currently fighting a lawsuit from the Department of Justice over Boston’ s sanctuary city policies.
“This unconstitutional attack on our city is not a surprise,” Wu wrote in a statement. “This is our City, and we will vigorously defend our laws and the constitutional rights of cities, which have been repeatedly upheld in courts across the country.”
And when the Trump administration announced its plans for the latest immigration enforcement in Boston — dubbed Operation Patriot 2.0 — Wu clapped back with legal threats of her own, stating that the city would pursue legal action against the Trump administration if the immigration enforcement raid violates any laws.
Wu won her first mayoral run in 2021 by a landslide with 64 percent of the vote, becoming the first woman and person of color to be elected leader of Boston. Without a general election opponent, her reelection is almost certain.
—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at megan.blonigen@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.
—Staff writer Frances Y. Yong can be reached at frances.yong@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @frances_yong_.
