Boston Mayor Michelle Wu made a strong first-place finish in the city’s preliminary election Tuesday, with final vote totals showing nearly 50 percentage points ahead of her main challenger, Josh Kraft.
Wu earned 72% of the vote, and Kraft earned 23%. Challengers Domingos DaRosa and Robert Cappucci will not advance to November’s general election, as they did not finish in the top two places, earning 2.6% and 2.2%, respectively.
From the outset of the race, polls showed Wu handily ahead of Kraft. In February, an Emerson College Poll had Wu with 49% support, Kraft with 29%, and 24% undecided. In a follow-up poll published Friday, Wu jumped to 72% support, Kraft’s support slid to 22%, and only 2% of voters remained undecided.
In the at-large race, City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, Councilor Julia Mejia, Councilor Erin Murphy, and Councilor Henry Santana topped the ticket. Former City Councilor Frank Baker came in fifth place after retiring from office two years ago. Alexandra Valdez, Marvin Mathelier, and Will Onuoha will also appear on the November ballot.
Incumbent Councilors Gabriela Coletta Zapata (District 1), Ed Flynn (District 2), Brian Worrell (District 4), and Enrique Pepén (District 5) topped the tickets in their respective races.
District 7 saw a crowded field of 11 candidates after Incumbent Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson resigned in July and pleaded guilty to federal public corruption charges. Said Ahmed will face Miniard Culpepper in November, earning 15.72% and 15% of the vote, respectively.
Wu’s administration has been at odds with the Trump administration over issues such as immigration and ICE collaborating with local police departments. Wu maintains that she will not back down on such issues if re-elected in November. She specifically cited the Boston Trust Act, a local ordinance that states that the federal government does not have the “right or the constitutional authority” to aid in mass deportations. Her defiance of the Trump administration has become a focal point of her campaign and a source of strength with voters.
“250 years ago, the residents of Boston stood up when another tyrant was coming in and tried to tell us how to take care of our own,” Wu said Tuesday afternoon to reporters. “This is what our city stands for. This is who we are, and we’re going to continue to make sure our residents are cared for, are supported, and, most of all, are safe.”
Wu said what she loves most about local government and representing Boston is that “you can’t run away or hide” from issues facing the city.
“My approach over nearly 15 years in city government has always been that when there is disagreement, in fact, we have to lean in more,” Wu said. “It’s not just about any one discussion or policy proposal. I keep showing up, because the residents of Boston always show up for their community.”
After waiting almost an hour after the election results were announced, State Representative Rob Consalvo took the stage in Roslindale’s Adams Park, a district he represents, for an election night rally held by the mayor.
“In these difficult times, with the turmoil we face in Washington, D.C., and all the uncertainty, there’s one thing we know for certain: Michelle Wu has our back,” Consalvo said, emphasizing Wu’s connection to the village, where she lives with her husband and three children. “This isn’t a time for someone who’s never held a job, who’s never lived in our neighborhoods, who hasn’t done the work. It’s time for a person who’s got the experience to fight on day one.”
With a win in the preliminary election, Julia Mayer of Roslindale, who attended the rally with her daughter, said she sees a win for Wu in November as very likely. Mayer says that her stances on affordable housing and accessibility needs make her popular among Bostonians.
“Mayor Wu has come out in favor of basically everything that we really care about,” Mayer said. “Specifically in comparison to Kraft [and] the aggression with which he’s come out against bike lanes, which are one of the main ways that our family gets around.”
Criticism has been made throughout the campaign that Kraft is not a candidate representing Boston’s working class.
“She’s living local[ly] with us and she’s taking care of local issues. We really appreciate that,” Curtis Wilson, who lives near the park and worked the polls in Roslindale on Tuesday, said. “I think that [the Krafts] are good people, but they just can’t relate right now to what we need.”
In an election night speech to Ironworkers Local 7 in South Boston, Kraft spoke proudly of listening to those who don’t have a seat at the political table throughout his campaign.
“This campaign has never been about chasing headlines or currying favor with the political chattering class, it’s been about listening,” Kraft said, adding that his campaign has put issues like building affordable housing and a “recovery first” proposal for Mass and Cass restoration, “front and center.”
“Let me be clear, we are still in this race,” Kraft said. “Despite what has been reported in the pages of the media, it’s clear that the only poll that matters is in November,” Kraft continued.
Taking the podium across town to raucous cheers, Wu reflected on the busy year that led up to this moment in the campaign, from giving birth to her third child in January to testifying before Congress in March during an investigation into “sanctuary cities.”
“Always, but especially in these intense times, I am grateful for this village. Thank you for having my back, and thank you for having Boston’s back,” Wu said. “Tonight, voters across our city left no doubt. In Boston, wins can’t be bought,” calling her victory in the preliminary “a margin money can’t buy.”
Looking ahead to the general election, Wu reiterated the importance of the race in a political climate where Democratic-led cities are increasingly under threat by the federal government.
“The next eight weeks are about more than the remaining two names on the ballot … It’s a test of whether Boston can still be that beacon of freedom … 250 years later, with tyranny again at our door,” Wu said.
Wu continued her rebuke, calling out opponent, Josh Kraft, and President Donald Trump, a former friend of Robert Kraft, Josh’s father, and billionaire owner of the New England Patriots.
Kraft used his speech to deny any connection to the president, calling it unfair and a distraction from Wu’s “ineffectiveness on the issues that really matter.”
“Throughout this campaign, Mayor Wu has shown that she doesn’t want to talk about her record; she wants to talk about Donald Trump … she wants to run against Donald Trump,” Kraft said.
“The attacks we’ve seen aren’t just aimed at our campaign,” Wu said, referencing Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in U.S. cities. “They are aimed at the very idea that Boston belongs to all of us … that the mayor of Boston should answer to the people of Boston, not a handful of billionaire donors.”
On Wednesday morning, Wu held a press conference outside Boston City Hall alongside local and state officials, including Councilor-at-Large Henry Santana, District 5 Councilor Enrique Pepén, and District 6 Councilor Ben Weber, all of whom finished atop the ballots in their respective races. District 8 Councilor Sharon Durkan was also in attendance, but a preliminary election was not triggered in her district.
Wu added that Boston has “defined what the Constitution of the United States means in action.”
“It means investing in the public good. It means taking care of your neighbors, and it means never backing down from doing what you believe is right,” Wu said.
Despite the strong showing in the preliminary, Wu and her supporters emphasized that the race is not over and there is more work to be done before November.
“This was a clear and resounding victory for the mayor, but I’ve been in politics a long time, so we can’t take it lightly,” Consalvo told The Beacon on Tuesday night. “We [want to] make sure she has an even bigger victory in November.
Kraft announced he would suspend his mayoral campaign Thursday night.
“What is right for this city…is not to get caught up in more political mudslinging but rather, to drive the conversation forward in a meaningful way,” Kraft said in a statement posted on Instagram.
Kraft also announced that he would dedicate resources and additional funds to “tackling the humanitarian crisis at Mass & Cass,” pledging $3 million to this effort.
This article has been updated to include information on Kraft exiting the race.
