Michelle Wu Dominates Boston Mayoral Primary with 49-Point Margin

BOSTON, MA — Mayor Michelle Wu secured a decisive victory in Tuesday’s preliminary election for mayor, finishing with a significant 49-point lead over her opponent, Josh Kraft. Wu’s campaign emerged victorious across all 22 wards in the city, winning 264 out of 275 precincts.

Late Wednesday, the city’s precinct-by-precinct vote breakdown revealed key insights into Kraft’s campaign strategy. Although he aimed to build a broad coalition, he struggled in traditionally conservative districts such as South Boston, which had previously supported former Councilor Annissa Essaibi George in the 2021 mayoral race. Kraft only managed to win nine precincts, nearly all in Wards 6 and 7, and even lost votes compared to Essaibi George’s performance in 2021.

David Hopkins, a political science professor at Boston College, noted that Kraft’s widespread shortcomings indicated he needed more regional support to challenge Wu effectively. “Kraft just didn’t do all that well anywhere,” he said, highlighting neighborhoods that were crucial for his campaign.

In addition to South Boston, Kraft faced challenges in gaining support in areas like Roxbury, Mattapan, and Hyde Park. Despite his campaign headquarters being located in Roxbury’s Nubian Square and his community work, Wu won these neighborhoods decisively. “The demographic coalition he was hoping to build just didn’t materialize for him in the primary,” Hopkins added.

Kraft also faced disappointing results in traditionally moderate areas like West Roxbury and Charlestown, where Wu gained considerable traction. “I was rather surprised to see how strongly Wu carried both of those areas, especially West Roxbury,” said Dan O’Brien, director of the Boston Area Research Initiative.

Kraft’s campaign did not achieve the desired impact despite his local presence. He lost his own home precinct in the North End and reported about 170 fewer votes than he needed to put pressure on Wu. The path forward for Kraft appears tenuous, with political experts suggesting significant changes are needed in the campaign to close the gap before the general election.

“It would take a major seismic shake-up of the race for Kraft to close the gap,” Hopkins warned. “We have a popular mayor, and a challenger who has not been able to sustain a convincing case against her.”