US EditionMayor Wu holds commanding lead over Josh Kraft, poll finds
Michelle Wu's support among likely voters has surged to 72%, a 29-point increase since February, reflecting strong approval across demographic groups, according to Emerson College polling.
- The Emerson College poll released Friday shows Mayor Michelle Wu with 72% support and Josh Kraft, former nonprofit executive, at 22%, a roughly 50-point lead ahead of Boston's Sept. 9, 2025 preliminary election.
- Josh Kraft's campaign is facing challenges this week after parting ways with top advisers Ellen O'Connor and Will Keyser, despite his roughly $5.5 million personal investment, while the DOJ filed a sanctuary city lawsuit.
- The poll's methodology shows the Emerson College Polling survey, conducted Sept. 2–3 with a sample of 555 likely voters, has a credibility interval of +/- 4.1 percentage points, revealing Wu's 29-point rise and gains across Hispanic, Black, Asian and white voters favoring her 74% to 22%.
- With early voting underway, just 2% of voters remain undecided before the Sept. 9 preliminary election, while two-thirds of Boston voters support Mayor Michelle Wu's sanctuary policy stance.
- Pollsters urge caution as Emerson College Polling's survey, the first to show such a sweeping advantage, must be interpreted within its 95% confidence and subgroup credibility intervals before the Nov. 4 general election.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Battenfeld: Josh Kraft faces gaping 50-point deficit to Michelle Wu heading into preliminary election
Josh Kraft will try to cut his now gaping 50-point deficit to incumbent Michelle Wu in Boston’s preliminary mayoral election Tuesday, but may have to reassess his struggling campaign if he can’t make it a competitive contest. Kraft has for decades been a positive influence on Boston’s youth and is known for his philanthropy, but would he be better off dropping out and saving his millions rather than suffer a humiliating defeat of historic propor…
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu takes dominant lead in re-election bid: Emerson College Polling
(WHTM) - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D) has a dominant 50-point lead over challenger Josh Kraft (R) ahead of the Sept. 9 mayoral election, according to a new Emerson College Polling survey. The poll found Wu with 72% support to Kraft's 22% support, a lead that has grown 29% since February. Nearly 3 in 4 Boston voters have a favorable opinion of Wu in the poll, while 58% have an unfavorable view of Kraft. “Over the past seven months, Mayor Wu appea…
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