Josh Kraft, son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is preparing to launch a campaign against Michelle Wu for Mayor of Boston, sources familiar with his plans confirmed to GBH News.
News of the plans were first reported by Politico Tuesday.
The revelation comes after months of speculation amid highly public visits with local community groups and nonprofits. Kraft, who had a long career with the nonprofit Boys and Girls Club of Boston before helming the Kraft family’s philanthropic endeavors through the New England Patriots Foundation, fueled predictions through a steady series of appearances with organizations like the Rainbow Adult Day Healthcare Center, The Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts, Tech Goes Home and Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation — all of which have been recently featured on Kraft’s Instagram account.
The reports of Kraft’s foray into Boston’s political arena also come as Mayor Wu — Boston’s first elected mayor of color and woman mayor — faces criticism on multiple fronts including ballooning costs for the repurposing of White Stadium, a rescinded attempt to relocate Roxbury’s John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, and multiple failed attempts to reign in residential property tax costs against the wishes of Greater Boston area business leaders who faced shouldering a larger portion of the city’s tax burden.
Earlier this month, Wu gave birth to a daughter and responded to critiques about her decision to decline maternity leave as campaign season approaches.
