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New from CommonWealth Beacon PARSING TRUMP POLICY: This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon executive editor Michael Jonas talks with reporter Jennifer Smith about a series of stories parsing the sprawling Trump tax and spending bill. They discuss why it’s unclear Opportunity Zones have been effective, and why affordable housing advocates are mixed on the administration’s approach to low-income renters.  OPINION: Greater Boston Food Bank CEO Catherine D’Amato says cuts to SNAP benefits in Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill are an abdication of our moral responsibility to those most in need.

Kraft 2.0 looks a lot like the first version August 5, 2025 By Michael Jonas

As a reboot, it’s not clear it did much to clear the cache or restart the operating system.

On Sunday, Josh Kraft gathered with supporters at the Ironworkers Local in South Boston to deliver what a press release billed as “an important campaign update and speech.” What followed in his remarks, however, was largely a restatement of positions he’s put forward on everything from rent control to bike lanes and the problems at Mass. and Cass.

Kraft then turned to Mayor Michelle Wu and ripped her for spreading what the text of his speech called “falsehood after falsehood” about him. Kraft, who is Wu’s main opponent in this fall’s Boston mayoral election, took on the charge that he is “new to Boston,” questions about his family’s business dealings, and the relationship of his father, billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Donald Trump.

Kraft, who grew up in Boston’s tony suburbs and only moved into the city two years ago, ran through his admirable bio of decades of work in the city as CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Boston. Reminding voters at the same time of Wu’s far-away roots, the 58-year-old Kraft said he was walking truant kids to school in tough Boston neighborhoods when Wu, 40, was being walked to elementary school by her parents in the suburbs of Chicago.

He emphasized that he has no involvement in his family’s business dealings and then took on the issue of his father’s longstanding friendship with Trump. Josh Kraft, who has made clear that he has never voted for Trump and objects to his policies, doubled down on distancing himself from his dad’s connections to the president. Trump has “actively attacked democratic institutions, and stoked hatred and division throughout our country,” Kraft said.

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It was stronger language than Kraft has used to date, and it left little doubt that he shares the revulsion toward Trump of many Boston voters, only 1 in 5 of whom cast a ballot for the president last November. But it didn’t seem like much of a reset or “Do-over debut,” as Politico Playbook headlined its write-up.

“If you’re explaining, you’re losing” is a well-known axiom of campaign strategy.

Whether it’s making clear that he does not share his dad’s views on Trump, or looking to undercut attacks that he only recently moved into the city by pointing out that he’s spent years working in Boston neighborhoods, Kraft still seems to be doing a lot of explaining, six months after launching his campaign.

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FROM POLITICO: MONEY RACE — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ended July with a significant cash advantage over her chief rival, Josh Kraft, according to the latest filings with the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Wu raised about $247,000 last month and ended July with close to $2.5 million on hand. While Kraft raised more than $127,000 during the same period, he spent big in July — paying $1,886,000 to cover a variety of campaign-related costs. That leaves him with under $150,000 heading into the final full month of campaigning before the Sept. 9 preliminary election. FULL DISCLOSURE: THIS ARTICLE CAN'T BE POSTED WITHOUT DISCLOSING JOSH KRAFT'S FAKE ADS & HIS FAILURE TO DISCLOSE SOURCES OF HIS INCOME! ****CARPETBAGGING NEWTON NEBBISH JOSH KRAFT IS A FAKE & A FRAUD - EVEN HIS ADS ARE FRAUDULENT! **** HE PROVIDED A SUMMARY OF HIS 'INCOME' - THE PUBLIC HAS NO WAY OF DETERMINING IF HE HAS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST! ONLY THE WEALTHY WITH NO BOSTON CONNECTIONS HAS FUNDED HIS CAMPAIGN!  THE NEWTON NEBBISH HAS NO SOLUTIONS! ****  RELATED — Prominent national Democrats ask Josh Kraft to stop using names, likenesses in unauthorized fund-raising push by Emma Platoff, The Boston Globe: “On first blush, the fund-raising solicitation sure looked like it was coming from US Senator Adam Schiff, the California Democrat well known for tangling with Donald Trump. ‘Hi — this is Adam Schiff,’ the email read, according to a screenshot shared with the Globe. ‘Josh Kraft said I could reach out with this urgent message.’ But the email came from ‘info@joshforboston.com‚’ and it was paid for by the campaign of Josh Kraft, who is running for mayor of Boston, several thousand miles east of Schiff’s district. And, it turns out, Schiff never said Kraft could reach out with that urgent message. The Kraft fund-raising email sporting Schiff’s name and likeness is one of at least five the campaign has sent in recent weeks that feature prominent national Democrats who have not publicly weighed in on the Boston mayor’s race. At least two of those politicians have now asked the Kraft campaign to stop using their names and likenesses in the email fund-raising solicitations.” WORTH READING! More Context More than a year in the making, Josh Kraft launches mayoral bid (February 2025) New Balance chairman drops $1 million on Josh Kraft super PAC (April 2025)

More from CommonWealth Beacon OPINION: Efforts to end federal support for undocumented residents – by initially holding up $716 million in adult education program – have understandably drawn recent focus, writes Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex Community College. But it is clear from other White House communications and actions that the broader agenda is to practically eliminate immigration into the United States entirely.

What We're Reading ENVIRONMENT: The New Bedford Light explores the movement among some cranberry growers facing tough times of selling land for restoration of bogs rather than development. CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith took a deep dive into the issue two years ago.   EDUCATION: Holyoke Public Schools spent a decade in receivership. As the next school year approaches, questions remain about the success of the state’s efforts to turn the district around and what that means for students going forward. (The Shoestring)  ENVIRONMENT: A large plume of cyanobacteria – or blue-green algae – has been found in the Charles River, prompting the state to issue a public health advisory to stay out of the water. The bacteria can cause rashes and respiratory problems. (The Newton Beacon)  HIGHER ED: A Boston Globe analysis of 100 colleges and universities that recruit the highest numbers of foreign undergrads shows that those institutions gave the students more than $1 billion in financial aid collectively last year.  HEALTH CARE: With a federal grant of nearly $3 million, the Community Health Programs in the Berkshires is creating a model that integrates primary and behavioral care to break down barriers for patients that have trouble accessing the services they need. (The Berkshire Eagle – paywall)

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