AND WHAT COMES NEXT. JOSH KRAFT, YOU ARE HERE AT CHANNEL 5 AND WE APPRECIATE IT. YOU HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE. LOOK, WHEN I GOT INTO THE MAYOR’S RACE, IT WAS A CONTINUATION OF WHAT I’VE DONE FOR 35 YEARS. LISTENING TO PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY OF BOSTON AND NOT JUST LISTENING TO THEM, BUT LEARNING FROM THEM, UNDERSTANDING THEM, UNDERSTANDING THEIR NEEDS, THEIR HOPES, THEIR CHALLENGES. I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT THE NEXT EIGHT WEEKS OF THIS CAMPAIGN. EIGHT WEEKS OF A LOT OF MUDSLINGING, POLITICAL TALK, BUT NO TALK ABOUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS. THE ISSUES THAT IMPACT EVERY SINGLE BOSTONIAN ACROSS THE CITY OF BOSTON, AND THE COUNTRIES THAT OPPOSED. today WE SEE IT EVERY DAY WHERE THE VITRIOL AND THE POLITICAL ARGUING AND FIGHTING, IT’S NOT LEADING TO ANYTHING BUT ANGER AND NEGATIVITY. SO YOUR DECISION. MY DECISION IS TO SUSPEND MY CAMPAIGN, MY CANDIDACY FOR MAYOR AS OF TODAY. TUESDAY’S NUMBERS WERE TOUGH. IS THAT THE REASON WHY? IT GOES BACK TO WHAT I WAS SAYING AT THE BEGINNING, IS I GOT INTO THIS TO MAKE AN IMPACT, AS I’VE DONE MY WHOLE LIFE, BUILD A SENSE OF COMMUNITY TO MAKE CHANGE FOR THE GREATER GOOD. AND WHEN I KEPT LOOKING AT THE NEXT EIGHT WEEKS AND THE NEGATIVITY AND ALL THAT, IT WAS GOING TO BE ABOUT. I REALIZED, WOW, I COULD DO MORE AND I COULD MAKE A BETTER IMPACT FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF BOSTON. AND HOW WOULD YOU DO THAT? SO, AS WE ALL KNOW, THERE’S A LOT OF ISSUES THAT MANY BOSTONIANS STRUGGLE WITH WITH HOUSING, SCHOOLS. BUT THE ISSUE THAT COMES UP THE MOST AND CAN NEVER SEEM TO BE FIXED IS THE HUMAN TRAGEDY OF MASS AND GAS. AND I AM GOING TO WORK WITH I’VE SPOKEN TO LEADERS OVER THERE AT THE GAVIN FOUNDATION, AT THE PHOENIX, WHO DO. RECOVERY WORK. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER WORK. SUPPORT PEOPLE. AND I’VE TALKED TO THEM TODAY AND WE ARE GOING TO WORK TOGETHER TO TAKE THE FIRST STEPS TO REALLY FIND AN END TO THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS THAT IS MASS AND CASS. SO ARE YOU TAKING THE MONEY THAT YOU WOULD HAVE USED FOR THIS CAMPAIGN? AND WHAT I’LL BE DOING IS THE MONEY THAT I WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO GET THROUGH THESE NEXT EIGHT WEEKS OF MUDSLINGING IS TAKE THAT MONEY AND SOME MORE MONEY AND WORK WITH THE GAVIN FOUNDATION AND THE PHOENIX TO FIGHT TO TAKE THOSE FIRST STEPS TO FIND A REAL SOLUTION TO THE HUMAN TRAGEDY AND PUBLIC SAFETY CRISIS OF MASS AND CASS, AS WELL AS TO RE-ENERGIZE A SIMILAR PROGRAM, OPERATION EXIT, WHICH HELPS PEOPLE COMING HOME FROM INCARCERATION, NOT JUST FIND JOBS, BUT FIND CAREERS. AND I THINK I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE PEOPLE AS I’VE DONE MY WHOLE LIFE, CREATE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE CHANGE FOR THE GREATER GOOD. SO THAT’S WHAT’S NEXT FOR JOSH KRAFT. I DID ASK HIM IF HE WAS GOING TO THROW HIS SUPPORT BEHIND BOSTON MAYOR MICHELLE WU, AND HE TOLD ME, AND I QUOTE, THE CITY HAS SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES BEFORE IT. TODAY AND IN THE DAYS AHEAD. I SINCERELY WISH MAYOR WU SUCCESS AS SHE UNDERTAKES THE IMPORTANT TASK OF ADDRESSING THEM FOR THE BETTERMENT OF ALL BOSTONIANS. SO RIGHT today, LET’S BRING IN OUR POLITICAL REPORTER SHARMAN SACCHETTI TO BREAK IT DOWN. ALL RIGHT. SHARMAN, WE’RE HEARING FROM THE WU CAMPAIGN. WE ARE HEARING FROM THEM TONIGHT. THE MAYOR REACTING TO THIS BLOCKBUSTER ANNOUNCEMENT. HERE’S WHAT SHE’S SAYING. I RESPECT JOSH’S DECISION AND THANK HIM FOR CARING ABOUT OUR CITY DEEPLY ENOUGH TO WANT TO MAKE IT BETTER. 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. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THE MAYOR REALLY ISN’T TAKING HER FOOT OFF THE PEDAL, SO TO SPEAK. EVEN THOUGH THIS EFFECTIVELY MEANS SHE’LL HAVE A SECOND TERM, RIGHT? THERE’S NO ONE BETWEEN HER AND A SECOND TERM, SO YOU JUST HEARD JOSH KRAFT USE THE WORD MUDSLINGING. THIS THIS NEGATIVITY. HE USED THAT WORD. THIS WAS UGLY AND THIS WAS EXPENSIVE. SO THIS IS today WHAT? WELL, DURING HER SPEECH, YOU KNOW, I WAS AT MAYOR WU’S VICTORY SPEECH ON TUESDAY NIGHT DURING THE PRELIMINARY. AND HERE’S WHAT SHE SAID. SHE TALKED ABOUT THE MILLIONS THAT HAVE BEEN POURED INTO THIS RACE, HOW BOSTON WOULDN’T BE, QUOTE, BOUGHT OR BULLIED. today WE KNOW KRAFT POURED MORE THAN $5 MILLION OF HIS OWN MONEY INTO THE CAMPAIGN, AND THERE WERE SUPER PACS ON BOTH SIDES. AND THAT MONEY, YOU DO HAVE TO ASK, WHAT EXACTLY DID IT GET HIM? HE WAS ACTUALLY ACCORDING TO THESE NUMBERS THAT WE SAW ON TUESDAY NIGHT, LOSING SUPPORT, PLUS HIS CAMPAIGN JUST HAD A BIG SHAKEUP WHEN HE PARTED WAYS WITH HIS leading CAMPAIGN ADVISERS. ONLY, YOU KNOW, JUST BEFORE THE PRELIMINARY ELECTION, HE LOST BY 50 POINTS, VIRTUALLY 50 POINTS. IT WAS JUST A BOMBSHELL, YOU KNOW, ANNOUNCEMENT BACK THEN. AND YEAH, IT TURNS OUT THE POLLING PLAYED OUT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SHARMAN. WE APPRECIATE THAT. JOSH KRAFT BROKE THIS NEWS FIRST ON FIVE. IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ONLY WITH US. WE WILL HAVE MORE COVERAGE TOMORROW MORNING OF COURSE ON THE EYE
Josh Kraft ends campaign for Boston mayor: Exclusive NewsCenter 5 interview
‘I can make a better impact,’ he said
Updated: 10:12 PM EDT Sep 11, 2025
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Philanthropist Josh Kraft, son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is ending his campaign for mayor after a blistering defeat in Boston’s preliminary election. “My decision is to suspend my campaign, my candidacy for mayor as of today, and I appreciate you letting me announce it here tonight,” Kraft said in an exclusive interview with NewsCenter 5 anchor Maria Stephanos. “The last couple of days, since Tuesday, I’ve sat and listened to my team, our volunteers, my family, my friends, advisors, and it goes back to what I was saying at the beginning. I got into this to make an impact, as I’ve done my whole life, build a sense of community to make change for the greater good,” Kraft said. “When I kept looking at the next eight weeks, the negativity, and all that it was going to be about. I realized, wow, I can do more. I can make a better impact for the residents of the city of Boston.”Mayor Michelle Wu, the incumbent, entered the preliminary election with a massive lead in the polls and led the election results on Tuesday by a margin of nearly 49% over Kraft.In a statement, Wu responded to Kraft’s withdrawal: “I respect Josh’s decision and thank him for caring about our city deeply enough to want to make it better,” Wu wrote. “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.”As the leading two finishers, Wu and Kraft were in position to advance to the general election in November. Community advocate Domingos DaRosa and former police officer Robert Cappucci were eliminated from contention by the results. Kraft, who has never held public office, entered the race in February. He led his family’s philanthropic efforts, serves on several boards, and spent 30 years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.While both Kraft and Wu are Democrats, he campaigned largely on criticism of the current administration. He attempted to position himself as someone who would “listen and learn from the people,” but never gained enough traction to challenge a popular incumbent with national notoriety.Kraft said he would divert his attention and $3 million to organizations focused on the crisis in the neighborhood known as Mass and Cass. “What I’ll be doing is — the money that I would have needed to get through these next eight weeks of mudslinging—is take that money and some more money, and work with the Gavin Foundation and The Phoenix to fight to take those first steps to find a real solution to the human tragedy and public safety crisis of Mass and Cass, as well as to re-energize a similar program, Operation Exit, which helps people coming home from incarceration not just find jobs, but find careers,” Kraft said during the exclusive interview. Boston voters haven’t ousted an incumbent mayor since John Hynes defeated James Michael Curley in 1949, following Curley’s prison sentence. Hynes previously served as a “temporary mayor” for five months while Curley was in federal prison, city archives state.Kraft split from his leading campaign advisors less than one week before the preliminary election. At the time, Kraft’s campaign also confirmed he was pouring $3.5 million of his own funding into the effort, bringing his total investment to more than $5 million.Video below: Kraft splits with leading advisorsWu, the city’s first Asian and female leader, has been bolstered in part by her defense of the city against attacks from the Trump administration. Members of the administration, often led by President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, have accused the city of not doing enough to crack down on illegal immigration and threatened a surge in arrests.Federal immigration officials are currently conducting an enforcement surge in the region, and the Department of Justice launched a lawsuit against the city and the mayor last week. Video below: Preliminary election results
Philanthropist Josh Kraft, son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is ending his campaign for mayor after a blistering defeat in Boston’s preliminary election.
“My decision is to suspend my campaign, my candidacy for mayor as of today, and I appreciate you letting me announce it here tonight,” Kraft said in an exclusive interview with NewsCenter 5 anchor Maria Stephanos.
“The last couple of days, since Tuesday, I’ve sat and listened to my team, our volunteers, my family, my friends, advisors, and it goes back to what I was saying at the beginning. I got into this to make an impact, as I’ve done my whole life, build a sense of community to make change for the greater good,” Kraft said. “When I kept looking at the next eight weeks, the negativity, and all that it was going to be about. I realized, wow, I can do more. I can make a better impact for the residents of the city of Boston.”
Mayor Michelle Wu, the incumbent, entered the preliminary election with a massive lead in the polls and led the election results on Tuesday by a margin of nearly 49% over Kraft.
In a statement, Wu responded to Kraft’s withdrawal:
“I respect Josh’s decision and thank him for caring about our city deeply enough to want to make it better,” Wu wrote. “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.”
As the leading two finishers, Wu and Kraft were in position to advance to the general election in November. Community advocate Domingos DaRosa and former police officer Robert Cappucci were eliminated from contention by the results.
Kraft, who has never held public office, entered the race in February. He led his family’s philanthropic efforts, serves on several boards, and spent 30 years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.
While both Kraft and Wu are Democrats, he campaigned largely on criticism of the current administration. He attempted to position himself as someone who would “listen and learn from the people,” but never gained enough traction to challenge a popular incumbent with national notoriety.
Kraft said he would divert his attention and $3 million to organizations focused on the crisis in the neighborhood known as Mass and Cass.
“What I’ll be doing is — the money that I would have needed to get through these next eight weeks of mudslinging—is take that money and some more money, and work with the Gavin Foundation and The Phoenix to fight to take those first steps to find a real solution to the human tragedy and public safety crisis of Mass and Cass, as well as to re-energize a similar program, Operation Exit, which helps people coming home from incarceration not just find jobs, but find careers,” Kraft said during the exclusive interview.
Boston voters haven’t ousted an incumbent mayor since John Hynes defeated James Michael Curley in 1949, following Curley’s prison sentence. Hynes previously served as a “temporary mayor” for five months while Curley was in federal prison, city archives state.
Kraft split from his leading campaign advisors less than one week before the preliminary election. At the time, Kraft’s campaign also confirmed he was pouring $3.5 million of his own funding into the effort, bringing his total investment to more than $5 million.
Video below: Kraft splits with leading advisors
Wu, the city’s first Asian and female leader, has been bolstered in part by her defense of the city against attacks from the Trump administration. Members of the administration, often led by President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, have accused the city of not doing enough to crack down on illegal immigration and threatened a surge in arrests.
Federal immigration officials are currently conducting an enforcement surge in the region, and the Department of Justice launched a lawsuit against the city and the mayor last week.
Video below: Preliminary election results
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