Josh Kraft has suspended his candidacy for mayor of Boston, days after advancing to the general election against incumbent Michelle Wu.
Kraft and Mayor Wu were the winners in Tuesday’s preliminary election and were set to face-off on the November ballot. Wu received 72% of votes compared to Kraft’s 23% in the preliminary election.
“I have determined that what is right for this city – during a time in America where we need to come closer together despite all our differences, instead of igniting divisiveness that pulls us further apart – 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. “After careful consideration, I have decided to suspend my candidacy for mayor of Boston.”
(AP Photos/Charles Krupa) 
During the campaign, Wu and Kraft sparred over bike lanes and the renovation of White Stadium in Franklin Park. The incumbent mayor has been in the spotlight for her response to the Trump administration’s crackdown on “sanctuary city” policies.
After the preliminary election, Kraft, the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, vowed to stay in the race. He said Wu has “unfairly” attempted to tie him to President Trump.
Wu said her supporters, “sent a message to Josh Kraft, to Donald Trump and to all of their enablers: Boston is not for sale.”
Kraft spent more than $5 million on campaign
According to the Associated Press, as of the end of August, Kraft had outspent Wu, $5.5 million to about $1.1 million.
“I respect Josh’s decision and thank him for caring about our city deeply enough to want to make it better,” Mayor Wu said. “We are going to continue over the next two months and beyond to keep engaging our community members about the critical work in front of us and how we keep making Boston a safe, welcoming home for everyone.”
Wu and Kraft advanced after receiving more votes than two other candidates, Robert Cappucci and Domingos DaRosa.
Even in the four-way race, Mayor Wu had a huge lead over Kraft and WBZ political analyst Jon Keller says the writing was on the wall.
“Michelle Wu is a very good politician, and she is popular,” Keller said. “She got more popular the harder Kraft ran against her which is quite a trick to pull off.”
Kraft announced that he plans to use his remaining campaign resources to help people suffering from substance abuse in the city, starting with a $3 million commitment focused on the area known as Mass and Cass.
“Public service is a part of who I am, and I will never stop pushing for solutions that make this city safer, fairer, and stronger,” Kraft said.
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