POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Boston mayor’s race hits the waves

 

BY KELLY GARRITY

Boston mayor’s race hits the waves 

By KELLY GARRITY 

 

07/11/2025 07:25 AM EDT

CHANNEL SURFING — Boston’s mayoral race is shaping up to be the sound of the summer thanks to new ads hitting the airwaves in the next few days.

Josh Kraft’s campaign is readying a television ad blitz with a series of 30-second spots featuring Bostonians he worked with during his more than two decades at the Boys and Girls Club of Boston.

The clips feature residents from an array of backgrounds across the city – like Jonte Joseph of Charlestown, who met the mayoral hopeful at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club when he was 9 years old, according to the campaign, and Bob Monahan, a longtime South Boston nonprofit leader who hired Kraft in the 1990s.

The series addresses one of the criticisms Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has levelled against Kraft – that he’s new to the city — by touting support from those who first worked with him in Boston decades ago. The campaign declined to share how much money they’re putting behind the series, which is coming to broadcast television, streaming sites and digital platforms starting today.

On the other side, the Bold Boston super PAC that’s backing Wu is gearing up to launch a radio ad Monday that looks to tie Kraft to President Donald Trump and the recently passed congressional budget reconciliation package.

The 60-second radio hit features two people talking about potential negative impacts from the congressional package, before yoking Kraft to Republicans who backed the bill.

“You know, Josh Kraft donated to Republicans who got the law passed?” one of the narrators says. “That’s right. He donated thousands to Trump-backing Republicans who want to ban abortion and cut Medicaid,” says the second narrator.

It’s an apparent reference to donations Kraft made a few years ago to Republicans like Reps. Glenn Grothmann of Wisconsin, Buddy Carter of Georgia and Mike Bost of Illinois. Kraft’s campaign has said he made donations to those politicians solely because of their support for Israel.

IN OTHER WORDS THE NEWTON NEBBISH ENDORSED ISRAEL'S GENOCIDE!

A spokesperson for the PAC declined to specify how much money the group plans to put behind the ad.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. A little less than two months to go before the preliminary! Tips, scoops, catch any of the ads in action? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events.

THIS WEEKEND — Rep. Jim McGovern is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Rep. Jake Auchincloss is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Did you know Playbook goes beyond the newsletter—with powerhouse new co-hosts at the mic? Tune in to The Playbook Podcast every weekday for exclusive intel and sharp analysis on Trump’s Washington, straight from Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns. Start listening now.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

RULE BREAKERS — Progressive groups that have been pushing for more transparency on Beacon Hill are calling out state lawmakers for bypassing the internal rules they put in place that were supposed to shed some more light on the legislative process. Progress Mass and Act on Mass say legislators are already violating rules implementing new deadlines and making testimony public. Their call is here.

FROM THE HUB

— Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden’s office threw out disgraced prosecutor Rachael Rollins’ do-not-prosecute list by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said his office seeks to divert, rather than prosecute, certain low-level shoplifting offenders but bristled when asked whether he still operates under his disgraced predecessor Rachael Rollins’ do-not-prosecute list. During a Thursday press conference on an initiative his office spearheaded that aims to deter shoplifting, Hayden outlined how the DA’s office aims to prosecute repeat retail theft offenders while giving a pass to first-time non-violent offenders — provided the newbie bandits take part in a voluntary diversion program.”

***NOW WE KNOW HOW GAYLA CAWLEY WILL FILL HER TIME WITH THE BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG PAYWALL! NOTICE HER INFLAMMATORY RHETORIC! SO GLAD GAYLA CAWLEY PRE-DETERMINES  READERS' OPINIONS!

****

— Stats show shoplifting spike in Boston, officials say they’re working on it by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “According to the Boston Police Department’s Part One Crime tracking data for the first six month of 2025, ‘Other Larceny,’ an offense that includes shoplifting and other crimes, totaled 4,185 incidents so far this year – up nearly 23% past the city’s five-year average. The Boston Police Department did not immediately clarify what portion of those ‘Other Larceny’ incidents are shoplifting, but did say through a spokesperson ‘So far this year, reports have increased 15% over last year at this time.’ Asked about the figures, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said mid-year statistics are difficult to discuss and attributed the rise to increased calls to police.”

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

***SHOULD DEPORTATION BE DETERMINED BY FIRST AMENDMENT SPEECH & PERSONAL BELIEFS? THE REST OF THE WORLD HAS ACCESS TO INFORMATION REGARDING ISRAEL'S GENOCIDE, WAR CRIMES & VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW....ISRAEL IS CURRENTLY SHOOTING & KILLING HUNGRY GAZANS SEEKING FOOD, TARGETING JOURNALISTS & REPORTERS TO SILENCE INFORMATION ABOUT ISRAEL'S CRIMES, WEST BANK SETTLERS ARE BEING KILLED....SHOULDN'T WE KNOW ABOUT ISRAEL'S WAR CRIMES? KILLING OR STARVING CHILDREN IS NOT ATTACKING HAMAS REGARDLESS OF WHAT NETANYAHU PRETENDS!*****

— ICE report revealed in court shows the agency used Canary Mission information to target Rümeysa Öztürk by Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio and Shelley Murphy, The Boston Globe: “An immigration official disclosed Thursday that the agency relied heavily on a pro-Israel website to identify international students who protested the war in Gaza, including Tufts PhD candidate Rümeysa Öztürk, as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on the pro-Palestinian movement on college campuses. Under questioning in federal court in Boston, the official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not point to any other grounds for Öztürk‘s detention beyond her inclusion in the blacklist from the website, known as Canary Mission, or her coauthoring of an op-ed in the student newspaper calling on Tufts to divest from companies with ties to Israel.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— Donahue no longer seeking reelection in Ward 2 City Council race by Matt Petry, The Newburyport Daily News: “After four years serving as the Ward 2 city councilor, Jennie Donahue announced Thursday she will not seek reelection. Elected in 2021, Donahue made Thursday’s announcement via Facebook, linking to an article she wrote.”

***THE NEWTON NEBBISH IS PROPOSING POLICIES BEYOND THE ISSUE OF BOSTON MAYOR....IS HE CONFUSED? SCRUTINIZE THIS CARPET BAGGER WHO NEVER MANAGED AN ORGANIZATION AS COMPLEX AS BOSTON CITY...LOTS OF LOFTY RHETORIC....NO EXPERIENCE!****

— Josh Kraft unveils reentry after prison plan in bid for Boston mayor by Jade Lozada and Emma Platoff, The Boston Globe: “Josh Kraft on Thursday unveiled a plan to support individuals returning from prison, a new plank in his policy platform as he seeks to unseat incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu in this fall’s election. Kraft made the announcement at a press conference in South Boston, where he was surrounded by about 10 supporters, some of whom were formerly incarcerated and said Kraft has been an immense source of support. His proposal includes a 90-day countdown reentry plan to help individuals find housing, job opportunities, and mental health support before they leave prison.

10 SUPPORTERS DETERMINE POLICY?

ENDORSEMENT ALERT — The Boston Teachers Union has endorsed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection, per the Boston Herald.

BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG PAY WILL

TRUMPACHUSETTS

***NIH RESEARCH FUNDING CUTS!*****

— UMass Chan Medical School faces shortfall of tens of millions of dollars in NIH funding by Lynn Jolicoeur, WBUR: “Leaders of UMass Chan Medical School say they've tallied the shortfall in federal funding to the school's scientists since President Trump took office. According to Chancellor Michael Collins, it's enough to imperil research across the institution. The math shows UMass Chan hasn't received nearly $42 million in expected grants from the National Institutes of Health for the school's fiscal year that just ended. That includes grants for studies and related costs that were deemed ‘fundable’ in the NIH review process but then stalled, Collins said.”

FROM THE 413

— Easthampton council president mulls interim mayor post in wake of LaChapelle resignation by Sam Ferland, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “In the wake of Mayor Nicole LaChapelle’s resignation, city councilors met Wednesday night to discuss paths forward to find an interim mayor, leaving the City Council president with a decision to make. According to the city charter, if a vacancy in the office of mayor occurs in the last nine months of their term, the president of the City Council shall become the mayor. With an election scheduled for Nov. 4, City Council President Salem Derby has not made a decision to accept the position as interim mayor.”

PAY WALL

—— Turmoil on Northampton reparations panel as council ponders future by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The city has fired an administrative assistant of the Northampton Reparations Study Commission and the chair of the commission has resigned ahead of a City Council meeting where it will be determined whether or not to continue the commission’s work on its final report. Anthony Arena-DeRosa, who served the commission in a staff support role, received a letter from Human Resources Director Charles Dunham on June 30, saying that the city intended to terminate his employment effective immediately. The cause of Arena-DeRosa’s termination, according to the letter shared with the Gazette, was an email he sent June 17, using a city email address, to approximately 130 residents to advocate for a public hearing before the city accepted a final report put out by the commission.”

PAY WALL

— Hasbro’s tariff response? In part it is to increase toy production in this WMass town by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican: “Toymaker Hasbro is stepping up board game production at a manufacturing partner’s plant in East Longmeadow, in part to maneuver around the Trump administration’s tariffs. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks described the move as a reaction to the administration’s import policies Thursday morning in a broadcast segment with CNN’s Audie Cornish. But Cocks said reshoring the company’s products can only do so much.”

PAY WALL

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THE LOCAL ANGLE

***LOWELL IS LEADING!****

— Lowell steps onto world stage as Frontrunner City by Melanie Gilbert, The Lowell Sun: “This week, Lowell was the epicenter for a pilot program that could be transformative for the future of the city. Political, educational, business and community-based leadership welcomed a delegation from Canada that leads up the innovative Frontrunner City Initiative. ‘The goal today is to look at the future of Lowell tomorrow,’ City Manager Tom Golden said during a presentation at City Hall announcing the partnership with the Urban Economy Forum.”

excerpt: 

LOWELL — This week, Lowell was the epicenter for a pilot program that could be transformative for the future of the city. Political, educational, business and community-based leadership welcomed a delegation from Canada that leads up the innovative Frontrunner City Initiative.

“The goal today is to look at the future of Lowell tomorrow,” City Manager Tom Golden said during a presentation at City Hall announcing the partnership with the Urban Economy Forum.

UEF is a nonprofit international organization affiliated with the United Nations that partners with the World Urban Pavilion to unlock significant monetary resources for selected cities. There are a number of communities across the globe with this current designation, including Toronto, but Lowell is the first city in the United States to receive this designation.

“We see potential here,” World Urban Pavilion Co-Director Eduardo Lopez Moreno said. “We work in a selective few cities that have the potential to be successful.”

Frontrunner status allows Lowell to harness a global pipeline of investment in the fields of finance, construction and design with the goal to create inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable communities.

Members of the delegation attended Tuesday night’s City Council meeting where the body received a briefing on the expertise and capital that could flow to Lowell, as well as the conditions required to implement the program, many of which Lowell has already accomplished, including the Lowell Forward Master Plan.

“Lowell Forward is the blueprint for the city of Lowell over the next four decades,” Golden said Thursday morning. “This initiative is giving us the opportunity to put our money where our mouth is.”

Lowell Forward, completed in 2024, is the city’s comprehensive plan for the future. It captures a 20-year vision and roadmap for supporting growth and investment in the downtown business district, neighborhoods, communities, open and natural spaces, and infrastructure networks.

The plan focuses on land use, housing, transportation, economic development, environment, parks, and arts. It includes a detailed strategy combining ongoing efforts with new initiatives to guide Lowell’s growth while honoring its unique character.

The team with UEF cited Lowell’s “historical and cultural assets,” natural resources like the Merrimack River and the canal system, open spaces and the National Park presence, and the onsite college and university system.

More importantly, Lopez said Lowell’s “leadership team, networks and partnerships” were a deciding factor in moving forward with the Frontrunner City designation.

UEF Director Kamran Hassani Espili and UEF Head of the Chair’s Office & Senior Advisor Saman Motamedi joined Lopez Moreno at the podium in a room filled with developers and other leaders, such as Mayor Dan Rourke, City Councilors Paul Ratha Yem and Corey Belanger, former state Sen. Steve Panagiotakos, Lowell Housing Authority Director Tha Chhan and Zoning Board of Appeals member Dennis McCarthy, among others.

Following the presentation, the UEF team met for one-on-one discussions with developers before meeting with UMass Lowell leadership and embarking on a citywide bus tour of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, an $800 million development plan that could be an economic engine for the city. LINC’s goal is to build a vibrant business and innovation center downtown, expected to bring in $3.7 billion and create 2,000 permanent jobs over 10 years.

On Wednesday, the team met with nonprofit leaders and drove through the areas under development, including the Hamilton Canal Innovation District off Dutton Street, the Jackson-Appleton-Middlesex Street neighborhood, the District and Superior courthouse properties, the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center parcel off Warren Street, and the Gallagher Transportation Center off Thorndike Street.

The city was an early adopter of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Communities Law.

The Frontrunner City status has caught the eye of state leadership, who are champions of more housing and business development in the commonwealth.

Thursday night, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus will attend a roundtable for the UEF delegation held at Cobblestones Restaurant.

Assistant City Manager/Director of Planning & Development Yovani Baez Rose said the next step in the Frontrunner City initiative is to identify what neighborhoods would be “big enough, bold enough and impactful enough to add up to the program.”

“We need to identify areas in the city where we can do big things,” she said. “Areas of the city that need more strategic interventions.”

The sixth Urban Economy Forum was held in September last year and was attended by Rourke, who connected with its leadership to discuss Frontrunner status.

By December, the city signed a memorandum of understanding with the UEF to “take all the necessary steps to formally become a Frontrunner City.”

In February, Golden and Rourke returned to Toronto to finalize the decision, which led to this week’s visit.

More discussion will take place over the next several months to determine next steps, but Golden said the “path to transformation” was underway. 

“This isn’t just a white paper,” Golden said. “This is the potential for international investment to move Lowell to the next level.”

— A veterans housing project almost fell through amid funding cuts and tariffs by Sam Turken, GBH News.

— Meet the designer behind Newton's new city seal by Amanda Beland, WBUR. 

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

TRAIL MARKERS — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is headed to New Hampshire today to stump for Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, a move that’s stoking some 2028 speculation for the former presidential candidate.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Gintautas Dumcius will be the new editor of MASSterList. He’s an alum of several Boston-area outlets and most recently was a reporter at CommonWealth Beacon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Sen. Ed Markey, WBUR alum Jack Lepiarz, Maximos Nikitas, Angus Abercrombie, Chris Maloney, a partner at the Black Rock Group and a Mitt Romney alum, and to Noa Burke-Schlossberg. 

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to state Rep. Dan Ryan, Daily Hampshire Gazette reporter Scott Merzbach, Gregorio Gomez, Arlene Remz and Madeline Saunders, who celebrate Saturday, and to Sunday birthday-ers Amanda Hunter, executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, Nick Newburger and Barry Posen.

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About The Author: Kelly Garrity

Kelly Garrity is a breaking news reporter at POLITICO.

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