Incumbent Michelle Wu and Josh Kraft defeated two other candidates in the nonpartisan primary election for mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9, 2025. On Friday, Sept. 12, Kraft withdrew from the race. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2025.

Wu was first elected in 2021, when she defeated Annissa Essaibi George 64%-35.6%. The last incumbent mayor to lose a re-election bid was James Michael Curley in 1949.

Wu and Kraft led in media attention and campaign fundraising. Robert Cappucci and Domingos DaRosa also ran. While mayoral elections in Boston are nonpartisan, Wu, Kraft, and Cappucci all wrote that they were Democrats on their Organization Statements filed with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. DaRosa did not write a partisan affiliation.

Wu was previously a member of the Boston City Council. She also worked for former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. Wu ran on her record. Her campaign website said, “Since taking office, she has invested more in making housing affordable than any other administration in Boston’s history. In her first full year as mayor, gun violence fell to the lowest level on record—and has continued to fall every year since. She promised a summer job to every BPS student who wanted one—and delivered, and has expanded Universal Pre-K to serve more children and families than ever before.” U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D), U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D) endorsed Wu.

At the time of the primary, Kraft was the head of Kraft Family Philanthropies, former CEO of the Boys & Girls Club in Boston, former president of the New England Patriots Foundation, and the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kraft’s campaign website said, “I love this city, but I have serious concerns about its future and many issues need attention. Lack of access to housing that regular people can afford, which is forcing many people to leave the city. Boston Public Schools that are failing our kids and families. Poorly planned bike and bus lanes that are changing our neighborhood streets and creating gridlock all across the city. The humanitarian crisis and public safety concerns at Mass and Cass need to be addressed.” The International Longshoremen’s Association endorsed Kraft.

On May 15, a coalition of the city’s Democratic Ward Committees hosted a candidate forum. Wu, Kraft, and DaRosa all participated. During the forum, candidates spoke about housing, public transportation, public safety, the city’s fiscal health, and the mayor’s role in responding to the policies of the Trump Administration. Click here to watch the forum.

While Wu and Kraft both said they opposed the Trump Administration’s immigration policies, they differed on several other issues, including housing, transportation, and the renovation of Boston’s White Stadium.

Wu said her administration created more than 11,000 housing units, including 5,400 affordable units, with another 4,000 affordable units in progress, and implemented new affordability requirements. Kraft said he would reverse the Wu administration requirements, which he said were blocking the construction of 26,000 housing units, increase the number of Boston residents who qualify for income-restricted housing units, and create an opt-in rent control plan that would include property tax breaks for participating landlords.

Wu said she would prioritize reducing dependence on cars. Wu highlighted her record on public transportation, including working with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority to eliminate slow zones, as well as increasing ridership with fare-free bus lines, installing speed humps, and using technology to reduce congestion. Kraft said he wouldn’t prioritize reducing dependence on cars and instead would focus on fixing roads and sidewalks, as well as temporarily pause bike lane construction to conduct an audit on the efficiency of proposed bike lanes.

Another topic that the candidates differed on was the renovation of Boston’s White Stadium. Wu had led the city’s effort to renovate the stadium, saying calling it an investment “into Black and Brown communities, into our students, and into the Boston Public Schools.” Wu also promoted an agreement between the city and Boston Legacy FC, a new professional women’s soccer team, to share use of the stadium. Kraft criticized the stadium renovation as too expensive, said he would cancel the contract with the soccer team, and create a new plan for the stadium “at a fraction of the cost.”