Boston election results, date, candidates: Trump administration's target Michelle Wu vs New England Patriots owner's son Josh Kraft

Boston election 2025 is nearing as mayoral primary has set the final contest between city's incumbent mayor Michelle Wu and Josh Kraft. Boston mayoral election 2025 is scheduled to be held in November. Wu and Kraft bested two other candidates in the preliminary election: former school district committee member and veteran Robert Cappucci and community activist Domingos Darosa. While Voter Registration Deadline for Municipal Election in Boston is scheduled on October 25, 2025. Municipal election will be held on November 4, 2025 from 7 am (local time) to 8 pm (local time).

Who is Boston Mayor Michelle Wu?

Michelle Wu is a sitting Mayor of Boston. She is Boston's first Asian and female leader. Wu has been a frequent target of the Trump administration. Michelle Wu has been bolstered in part by her defense of the city against attacks from the Trump administration. Members of the administration, often led by President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, have accused the city of not doing enough to crackdown on illegal immigration and threatened a surge in arrests. Boston is commonly known as a sanctuary city, and Wu has repeatedly said she wants it to be a welcoming place for immigrants.


Just last week, Trump’s U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Wu, the city of Boston and its police department over its sanctuary city policies, claiming they’re interfering with immigration enforcement. In response, Wu accused Trump of “attacking cities to hide his administration’s failures.”

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security put out a statement announcing the arrests of seven people as part of a crackdown in Massachusetts.

Who is Josh Kraft?

Josh Kraft is the son of NFL football New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kraft, a fellow Democrat and a nonprofit leader, injected millions of his own personal money into his campaign and set records for spending in a Boston mayoral preliminary election. He has also been critical of Trump's attacks and has pushed Wu particularly hard on housing, saying she hasn’t done enough to increase options and affordability in Boston.

Speaking to Ironworkers Local 7 in South Boston, Kraft said he was running because residents deserved to have a mayor “who listened to them” and would “deliver better streets, better schools, and a better future for them today.” He argued Wu was talking about Trump to distract from her record.

Michelle Wu vs Josh Kraft

As of the end of August, Kraft had outspent Wu, $5.5 million to about $1.1 million, thanks in large part to more than $5 million in loans from the candidate to his campaign. Wu entered the final days of the campaign with much more cash in the bank, $2.4 million to about $1.3 million for Kraft.

Jeffrey Berry, a Boston political analyst and professor emeritus at Tufts University, said money is good for creating name recognition, but it’s not enough on its own to win an election. He said Wu has become a “symbol of democratic resistance to the president,” and that will be hard for Kraft to overcome in a city like Boston.

Kraft supporter Remy Lawrence said she’s been impressed by his commitment to Boston’s young people. Kraft was CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and worked with the organization for decades. Lawrence said Kraft personally reached out to her after her 13-year-old son, Tyler, who participated in Kraft family youth programming, was murdered by a gunman in 2023 while walking near his grandparents’ home in the Mattapan neighborhood.

FAQs

Q1. When is Boston mayoral election?
A1. Boston mayoral election 2025 is scheduled to be held in November. While Voter Registration Deadline for Municipal Election in Boston is scheduled on October 25, 2025. Municipal election will be held on November 4, 2025 from 7 am (local time) to 8 pm (local time).

Q2. Who is Josh Karft?
A2. Josh Kraft is the son of NFL football New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.