Just a few months after a contentious presidential election, Bostonians are beginning to prepare for another—this time, for mayor.
On Feb. 4, Josh Kraft, the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, launched his campaign for mayor at the historic Prince Hall Grand Lodge in Dorchester. Incumbent mayor Michelle Wu has said she will run for reelection but has not filed yet. Jorge Mendoza-Iturralde, a North End restaurant owner, has declared he will run as an independent but also has not yet filed.
“I would really like to see more about what [Kraft] is going to propose,” Dr. Gregory Payne, chair of Emerson College’s communication studies department, said.
Kraft previously led the Boys and Girls Club of Boston for 30 years in varying roles and currently leads Kraft Family Philanthropies, which includes the New England Patriots Foundation.
He listed his party affiliation as Democratic, although he has previously voted in Republican primaries and has donated to candidates of both parties.
“[Kraft’s father] was good friends with Trump, he has been to Mar-a-Lago” Payne said, but “after Jan. 6, he said that he really had not been in too much contact.”
“I’m asking the people of Boston to set aside any ideas they might have about me based on my last name,” Kraft said, adding that he is committed to the people of Boston.
“Because I love this city and its people, I’m excited to declare my candidacy to be the next mayor of the city of Boston … I enter this race as an underdog and I know this is going to be an uphill fight, but I’m excited for the challenge,” he said.
Kraft established himself as an alternative to Wu while affirming his progressive policy positions.
“We’re at a critical juncture in this city’s history. The post-pandemic world is simply a different place,” he said. “We face some serious … challenges that Mayor Wu has not risen to. In fact, when it comes to the mayor’s big campaign promises—to make the MBTA free for Boston residents, to put in place a rent control program, and to launch a green new deal for Boston schools—she’s 0 for 3,” he added as his supporters nodded behind him.
He concluded the speech by saying “I want to be proud of where we are going. I want us to take these challenges head on, no matter how hard they are. That’s why I want to be your next mayor, and that’s what this campaign is going to be about.”
Kraft’s committee has not yet filed any campaign finance reports, but he is expected to have the financial backing of the Kraft Foundation. Robert Kraft has a reported net worth of $11.1 billion.
Incumbents generally spend less than challengers. As of Jan. 31, the Wu Committee reported a campaign war chest of $1.7 million. According to OCPF, Wu’s successful 2021 mayoral campaign cost around $3.1 million.
Wu is the first woman and person of color to serve Boston as elected mayor, after succeeding acting mayor Kim Janey in 2021. She is a self-described progressive politician whose focus in her first term has been on affordable housing and decreasing gun violence among other issues.
“I think Mayor Wu has proven herself to be a very able, adept rhetorician,” Payne said. “She is very good about going out and connecting with families and her constituents.”
In her time as mayor, Wu has clashed with business owners and faced strong criticism surrounding her response to pro-Palestine encampments at Emerson and other Boston schools last spring.
She has also received backlash due to her strong support of the controversial White Stadium renovation plan. Boston’s new NWSL team is set to make the stadium its home in 2026 but community members in Franklin Park are protesting the plan, which they believe has been rushed. City Council is deadlocked on the issue, recently voting 6-6 on a resolution to continue the demolition.
Recently, Wu has been asked to testify before the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Feb. 11 as part of an investigation into sanctuary cities. The mayors of Denver, New York City, and Chicago have also been called to testify. All four mayors govern sanctuary jurisdictions in Democrat-led states.
“If things get tense in Boston with regards to interactions with ICE, then people might say ‘we need a man,’” Payne said. “While I think that’s terrible, it’s the culture we live in.”
Despite these setbacks, 57% of Boston voters believe she is doing a good job, while just 35% rate her negatively.
Mendoza-Iturralde is part of a group of restaurant owners who sued Wu over outdoor dining policies. He is also on a list of 15 people known as critics of her administration. The list was created at the request of the Boston Police Department after the Dorchester Day parade in 2022, an annual event that celebrates the diverse Boston neighborhood. His brother, also on the critic list, pleaded guilty to shooting a local man in July 2024.
“Many people on that list followed the mayor and her family the entire length of the parade … harassing, physically intimidating [them],” Ricardo Patron, Wu’s former press secretary, said in July 2023. “The parade organizers repeatedly asked them to allow the parade to continue, and they continued to do their thing.”
“These are people with a long and documented series of violent behavior. Not just critics, or people who disagree with the mayor’s policies,” Patron said.
“I’m a small fish in a big pond,” Mendoza-Iturralde said while announcing his intent to run in May 2024, “but I think that at the very least, with my campaign, I can bring up some of the issues that are affecting Boston and perhaps remind the people of Boston that it is our city, not the politicians’ city.”
“In the era of Trump and MAGA, someone who is against the system, who believes in the ‘deep Boston state,’ could be appealing,” Payne said.
Mendoza-Iturralde has not made any statements about running since his initial announcement.
The deadline to file a statement of candidacy is May 13. Candidates must gather 3,000 signatures by June 24, and if there are more than two candidates, a preliminary election will be held on Sept. 9. The municipal election will take place on Nov. 4.
