BOSTON (AP) — Josh Kraft, the son of the New England Patriots’ owner, announced Thursday he is dropping his bid to unseat Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, days after advancing to the November ballot.
He announced the move on WCVB-TV after Kraft and Wu bested two challengers to advance during a preliminary election Tuesday.
Despite spending millions of his own money on the race, Kraft struggled to find a message that would resonate with voters amid the popularity of Wu. She is Boston’s first female and Asian mayor and has been bolstered in part by her defense of the city against the Trump administration.
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Kraft told supporters in a letter provided to The Associated Press that the election had never been about him or Wu.
“We could spend the next eight weeks politicking—with harmful rhetoric or nasty attack ads. Or we could get back to what really matters – the issues that impact Bostonians each and every day. The work I have focused on for my whole career,” Kraft wrote.
Kraft said the decision was the right move “during a time in America where we need to come closer together despite all our differences, instead of igniting divisiveness that pulls us further apart.”
