Josh Kraft is suspending his mayoral marketing campaign two days after after getting clobbered by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on this week’s preliminary election — when he misplaced by a whopping 49 factors, he mentioned on Thursday night time.
Kraft secured a spot within the November common election together with his second-place end to Wu in Tuesday’s four-way main, however was in a position to muster simply 23% of the vote to the mayor’s 72% — regardless of pouring tens of millions of his personal money into his marketing campaign.
The margin of defeat apparently proved to be an excessive amount of for Kraft to beat, who mentioned Thursday in an interview with WCVB-TV that he was suspending his mayoral marketing campaign, efficient instantly.
“My decision is to suspend my candidacy for mayor, as of today,” Kraft mentioned.
The choice represents an about-face for Kraft, who mentioned Tuesday night time after outcomes started to color a transparent image of his practically 50-point defeat that he had no intention of dropping out of the race.
“Let me be clear, we are still in this race,” Kraft mentioned as he was flanked by supporters and his father, Robert at his election night time occasion in South Boston. “We’re gonna push forward — harder, louder, and stronger than ever. But we know the road ahead is not going to be easy, but neither is life in Boston right now for too many.”
Kraft informed WCVB-TV that upon reflection, he determined he was not involved in persevering with in a race that has been extra centered on mud-slinging than the problems.
“I started to think about the next eight weeks of this campaign, eight weeks of a lot of mudslinging political talk, but no talk about what really matters, the issues that impact every single Bostonian across the city of Boston,” Kraft mentioned. “And the country is at a place now — we see it every day – where the vitriol and the political arguing and the fighting, it’s not leading to anything but anger and negativity.”
Given his title recognition and deep pockets, anticipation was excessive when Kraft, a son of the billionaire New England Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft and longtime philanthropist, launched his mayoral marketing campaign in February. After final week’s deposit, Kraft’s private marketing campaign spending stands at a cool $5.5 million.
However he failed to achieve traction with many citizens in Boston, regardless of hammering away at Wu’s perceived vulnerabilities round points like the town’s controversial public-private skilled soccer rehab of White Stadium and the open-air drug market and crime festering at and round Mass and Cass.
The favored first-term progressive mayor gained within the areas close to Mass and Cass and in Franklin Park, the place the stadium is positioned, en path to successful each ward and practically each precinct in Boston, together with handily within the North Finish precinct the place Kraft lives. He purchased a $2.5 million rental within the North Finish in October 2023, property information present.
The ultimate outcomes, a 49-point loss for Kraft, had been in step with an Emerson School ballot launched final week that projected he would lose to Wu by 50 factors.
Kraft additionally parted methods together with his high two advisors, Eileen O’Connor and Will Keyser of Keyser Public Methods, simply days earlier than the preliminary, on account of strategic variations for the marketing campaign.
Kraft, who headed the Boys and Ladies Golf equipment of Boston earlier than leaving to run his household’s philanthropic basis lately, mentioned he would donate $3 million to 2 organizations tackling the “humanitarian crisis at Mass and Cass” — which he mentioned he sees as a greater use of his assets than dumping that sum of money right into a shedding marketing campaign.
“I remain concerned about the future of our city, and though I will not be moving forward in this election, I will keep working for Boston, just as I have over the past three decades,” Kraft mentioned in a marketing campaign electronic mail to his supporters Thursday night time.
Wu, in a press convention held exterior Metropolis Corridor Wednesday to have fun her preliminary win, mentioned she wouldn’t name for Kraft to drop out of the race, in response to a reporter’s query, whereas calling a candidate’s choice to run for workplace an “intensely personal” one.
“I respect Josh’s decision and thank him for caring about our city deeply enough to want to make it better,” Wu mentioned Thursday night time in a press release. “We are going to continue over the next two months and beyond to keep engaging our community members about the critical work in front of us and how we keep making Boston a safe, welcoming home for everyone.”
Wu, the town’s first Asian and elected feminine chief, has been bolstered partially by her protection of the town in opposition to assaults from the Trump administration, in what had largely been seen as a two-person race between her and Kraft.
The 2 different mayoral candidates, group activist Domingos DaRosa and retired Boston Police officer Robert Cappucci, had been eradicated on this week’s preliminary election. Each garnered lower than 4% of the vote.
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