News Summary
A super PAC named ‘Your City, Your Future’ is pouring over $1.4 million into supporting Josh Kraft’s bid to unseat current Mayor Michelle Wu. The funding will be used for media advertisements leading up to the September preliminary election, focusing on issues such as affordability and education. Wu’s campaign has criticized Kraft’s wealthy donors. Despite challenges, recent polls indicate Wu has a lead among voters as the election heats up.
Boston – A super PAC named “Your City, Your Future” has invested over $1.4 million in support of mayoral candidate Josh Kraft, aiming to unseat incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu in the upcoming election. This hefty financial backing includes funding for advertisements across various media platforms, just months before the preliminary election scheduled for September 9.
The PAC’s spending includes approximately $200,000 allocated for digital advertisements, $668,750 on television, streaming, and radio ads, and $550,000 on billboard promotions. Additional expenditures surpassing $10,000 have been directed toward text messaging services with the political consulting firm Opinion Diagnostics. As part of its media strategy, the PAC’s television ads are currently in their final production stage and are set to air this week, targeting voters in different demographics.
According to the PAC, key issues highlighted in the Kraft campaign are affordability, traffic, and educational matters, suggesting that Kraft’s leadership could provide a better future for Boston in contrast to Wu’s tenure. Significant contributions to the PAC have been sourced from notable figures, such as $1 million from Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, $100,000 from Kessler Group President Howard Kessler, and another $1 million from New Balance Chairman Jim Davis.
Under Massachusetts state law, super PACs are prohibited from coordinating campaign strategies with the candidates they support. Wu’s campaign has criticized Kraft’s connections to wealthy donors, labeling his endorsements from billionaires and Trump megadonors as indicative of an agenda that does not align with the interests of Boston’s residents.
Kraft has expressed a commitment to self-fund his campaign with $2 million while reporting around $151,000 cash on hand after raising $197,000 as of late April. Conversely, Mayor Wu’s campaign boasts a significantly larger fund, totaling $2.2 million after a fundraising effort that yielded over $376,000. Wu, who made history as Boston’s first female and first person of color to serve as mayor, emphasizes her proposals for free public transportation, rent control, and sustainable development.
Kraft, whose background includes his previous role as President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, has never previously held elected office. His campaign places a strong emphasis on housing affordability as a central issue, proposing an “opt-in rent control” strategy and advocating for streamlined construction of apartments. This approach contrasts with Wu’s rent control proposals introduced in 2023, which saw initial support from the City Council but ultimately failed at the state level.
As the race intensifies, Wu is facing criticism over her administration’s handling of issues like public safety and homelessness, notably concentrated in the Mass. and Cass area. With the mayoral election set for November 4, 2025, Boston’s political landscape is heating up, with several candidates, such as community activist Domingos DaRosa and city council employee Kerry Augustin, also expressing interest in challenging Wu.
Recent polling data from Emerson College indicates Wu leading with 43% voter support, while Kraft trails behind at 29%, leaving 24% of voters undecided. The dynamic nature of the campaign will continue to evolve as candidates ramp up their outreach efforts in the months leading to the preliminary election, highlighting the growing public interest in local governance in Boston. Critics have also pointed to Kraft’s familial ties to controversial figures as a potential complication in his campaign efforts, amid a backdrop of ongoing scrutiny over municipal policies related to sanctuary status during the previous Trump administration.
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Additional Resources
- Boston.com: Boston Mayor Race – Wu, Kraft Issues Divide
- Wikipedia: 2025 Boston Mayoral Election
- NBC Boston: Boston Mayor Race – Wu, Kraft Poll Analysis
- Google Search: Boston Mayoral Election 2025
- MassLive: City Hall Attorney Joins Boston Mayor’s Race on Pro-Business Platform
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Boston Mayoral Elections
- Boston Globe: Boston Mayoral Race – Josh Kraft, Michelle Wu, Black Voters
- Google News: Boston Mayor Kraft Wu
