Mayoral election in Boston, Massachusetts (2025)
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Special state legislative • Municipal • How to run for office |
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← 2021
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| 2025 Boston elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: May 20, 2025 |
| Primary election: September 9, 2025 General election: November 4, 2025 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor |
| Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections) |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2025 |
The city of Boston, Massachusetts, is holding a general election for mayor on November 4, 2025. A primary is scheduled for September 9, 2025. The filing deadline for this election was May 20, 2025. The deadline for candidates to withdraw was July 1, 2025, and the deadline for substitution candidates was July 2, 2025.
As of 2025, Boston does not have term limits for the position of mayor. Mayors serve a four-year term.
September 9 nonpartisan primary
Ballotpedia identified the September 9, nonpartisan primary as a battleground primary. For more on the primary, click here.
Four candidates are running in the nonpartisan primary election for mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, on September 9, 2025. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election on November 4, 2025.
Incumbent Michelle Wu was first elected in 2021, when she defeated Annissa Essaibi George 64%-35.6%. It has been 76 years since an incumbent mayor lost a bid for re-election in Boston. The last to do so was James Michael Curley in 1949.[1][2]
Two candidates, Wu and Josh Kraft, lead in media attention and campaign fundraising.[3] Robert Cappucci and Domingos DaRosa are also running. 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.[4][5][6] DaRosa did not write a partisan affiliation.[7]
Wu was previously a member of the Boston City Council. She also worked for former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.[8] Wu is running on her record. Her campaign website says, "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."[9] U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D), U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D) have endorsed Wu.[10]
Kraft is 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.[11][12] Kraft's campaign website says, "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."[13] The International Longshoremen’s Association has endorsed Kraft.[14]
On May 15, a coalition of the city's Democratic Ward Committees hosted a candidate forum. Wu, Kraft, and DaRosa all participated.[15][16] 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 have both said they oppose the Trump Administration's immigration policies, they differ on several other issues, including housing, transportation, and the renovation of Boston's White Stadium.
Wu said her administration has 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.[15] Kraft has said he would reverse the Wu administration requirements, which he says are 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.[17][2]
Wu has said she would prioritize reducing dependence on cars. Wu has 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.[9] Kraft has 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.[18]
Another topic generating media attention that the candidates differ on is 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 has also promoted an agreement between the city and Boston Legacy FC, a new professional women's soccer team, to share use of the stadium.[19] Kraft has 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."[19]
The filing deadline for this election was May 20, 2025.
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- Mayor of Boston (Assumed office: 2021)
- Boston City Council At-large (2014-2021)
Biography: Wu earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University in 2007 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 2012. Before holding public office, she worked as in intern at Boston City Hall for former Mayor Tom Menino.
Show sources
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Kraft earned a bachelor's degree from Williams College in 1989 and a master’s in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 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.
Show sources
Sources: Boston.com, "Mayoral race primer: What to know about the issues that divide Wu and Kraft," April 8, 2025; Josh Kraft 2025 campaign website, "Josh Kraft on Policy," accessed August 28, 2025; Josh Kraft 2025 campaign website, "Housing Access & Affordability Plan," accessed August 28, 2025; Josh Kraft 2025 campaign website, "Josh’s Plan to Improve a Transportation System Stuck in the Past for a City Ready to Move Forward," accessed August 28, 2025; Josh Kraft 2025 campaign website, "About Josh Kraft," accessed August 28, 2025; NBC Boston, "Your guide to the 2025 Boston mayoral election," August 15, 2025
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Elections
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Candidates and results
General election
The primary will occur on September 9, 2025. The general election will occur on November 4, 2025. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Boston
Incumbent Michelle Wu, Robert Cappucci, Domingos DaRosa, and Josh Kraft are running in the primary for Mayor of Boston on September 9, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Michelle Wu (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Robert Cappucci (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Domingos DaRosa (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Josh Kraft (Nonpartisan) | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2025
September 9, 2025
November 4, 2025
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Mayoral partisanship
Boston has a Democratic mayor. As of September 2025, 66 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 23 are affiliated with the Republican Party, one is affiliated with the Libertarian Party, three are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.
Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.
Help inform our readers
Take our candidate survey
- See also: Survey
At Ballotpedia, we believe that everyone deserves meaningful, reliable, trustworthy information about their candidates. We also know that good information—especially at the local level—is hard to find. That's why Ballotpedia created Candidate Connection.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Our survey helps voters better understand how their candidates think about the world and how they intend to govern—information they need to feel confident they're picking the best person for the role.
If you are a candidate, take our survey here. Or you can ask a candidate to take the survey by sharing the link with them.
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About the city
- See also: Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital of Massachusetts. As of 2020, its population was 675,647.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Boston uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Boston, Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Boston | Massachusetts | |
| Population | 675,647 | 7,029,917 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 48 | 7,800 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 52.1% | 76.6% |
| Black/African American | 24.2% | 7.5% |
| Asian | 9.8% | 6.8% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0% |
| Other (single race) | N/A | 4.2% |
| Multiple | 7.2% | 4.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 19.5% | 12% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 87.9% | 91.1% |
| College graduation rate | 51.3% | 44.5% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $76,298 | $84,385 |
| Persons below poverty level | 18% | 9.8% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
2025 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This is a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections include:
- City council elections in New York, New York, 2025 (June 24 Democratic primaries)
- Florida's 1st Congressional District special election, 2025 (January 28 Republican primary)
- Virginia's 11th Congressional District special election, 2025 (June 28 Democratic firehouse primary)
See also
| Boston, Massachusetts | Massachusetts | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ CBS News, "Keller: Wu looks to play "Trump card" against Kraft, who has an uphill climb in the polls," July 30, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Boston.com, "Mayoral race primer: What to know about the issues that divide Wu and Kraft," April 8, 2025
- ↑ Welcome to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, "Mayoral Depository Year-to-Date Reports," accessed August 26, 2025
- ↑ Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, "Michelle Wu Candidate Committee Organization Statement," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, "Josh Kraft Candidate Committee Organization Statement," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, "Robert Cappucci Candidate Committee Organization Statement," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, "Domingos DaRosa Candidate Committee Organization Statement," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ Washington Post, "Michelle Wu makes history as first person of color and woman to be elected Boston mayor," November 3, 2021
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Michelle Wu 2025 campaign website, "Meet Michelle," accessed August 27, 2025
- ↑ Michelle Wu 2025 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed August 27, 2025
- ↑ NBC Boston, "Your guide to the 2025 Boston mayoral election," August 15, 2025
- ↑ Josh Kraft 2025 campaign website, "About Josh Kraft,' accessed August 27, 2025
- ↑ Josh Kraft 2025 campaign website, 'Josh Kraft on Policy," accessed August 27, 2025
- ↑ Boston Herald, "Josh Kraft scores first major endorsement in his bid for Boston mayor," March 19, 2025
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 YouTube, "Boston Democratic Ward Coalition 2025 Mayoral Debate," May 15, 2025
- ↑ Boston.com, "Boston mayoral race: 5 takeaways from the first candidate forum as Wu and Kraft meet onstage," May 19, 2025
- ↑ Josh Kraft 2025 campaign website, "Housing Access & Affordability Plan," accessed August 27, 2025
- ↑ Josh Kraft, 'Josh’s Plan to Improve a Transportation System Stuck in the Past for a City Ready to Move Forward," accessed August 27, 2025
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 MassLive, "White Stadium has taken over Boston’s mayoral race. Here’s what the candidates have to say," August 18, 2025
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