Boston’s Wu cruises to November election

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appears headed for re-election after capturing 72% of the votes in Tuesday’s preliminary election and challenger Josh Kraft’s surprise withdrawal Thursday.

By the numbers: Wu delivered a decisive victory by securing every ward while claiming 264 of the city’s 275 precincts. Within 18 minutes of poll closures, the Associated Press declared her victory as she captured nearly 72% of roughly 92,000 ballots cast.

Kraft finished a distant second with 23%, qualifying both candidates for the general election, while former police officer Robert Cappucci and community activist Domingos DaRosa were eliminated. Perhaps most notably, Wu flipped traditionally conservative neighborhoods like South Boston, areas that had previously backed her 2021 general election opponent.

What she’s saying: Wu immediately framed her victory as a vindication of grassroots politics over big money. “Voters across our city left no doubt. In Boston, wins can’t be bought,” the incumbent candidate told supporters, highlighting her campaign’s ground operation of nearly 500 events and voter contacts at 80,000 residences.

Beyond local politics, Wu has used her platform to challenge federal immigration enforcement. The mayor, who made history as Boston’s first Asian American and woman mayor, has responded defiantly to the Trump administration’s threats of enhanced ICE operations and vowed Boston would continue caring for residents “without the interference, coercion, intimidation, bullying or threats from the federal government.” She reinforced this message Tuesday night, telling supporters they had “sent a message to Josh Kraft, to Donald Trump and to all their enablers: Boston is not for sale.” The federal pressure intensified just days before the election when Trump’s Justice Department filed legal action against Wu and the city over sanctuary policies.

What’s next: Wu’s path to re-election became clear Thursday after Kraft announced his withdrawal from the race, citing a desire to avoid “harmful rhetoric or nasty attack ads” and focus on unity. The son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had spent $5.5 million compared to Wu’s $1.1 million through August, yet faced a 49-point deficit after Tuesday’s results.

Wu responded graciously, saying she respects Kraft’s decision and thanking him “for caring about our city deeply enough to want to make it better.” With Kraft’s exit and uncertainty about ballot replacement, Wu appears positioned for an uncontested re-election as she continues to champion immigrant rights amid federal challenges.