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Kraft officially files paperwork to run for mayor as Wu responds
"At some point, when you’re the candidate, you’re going to have to speak for yourself and not just have the consultants do it for you," Mayor Wu said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu defended her record and publicly commented on Josh Kraft’s decision to run against her for the first time Monday.
Rumors swirled around Kraft’s potential desire to challenge Wu for months. News broke last week that he would be seeking the mayor’s office, and Kraft filed paperwork to officially run as a Democrat last Friday.
Kraft, the son of billionaire Patriots owner Robert Kraft, has a long history of philanthropic work in Boston. He is the current president of the New England Patriots Foundation and chair of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, a Roxbury-based civil rights group. Kraft previously spent 30 years with Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, including a 12-year stint as president and CEO.
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Wu has said publicly that she plans to run for reelection, but has not officially launched her campaign. She gave birth to her third child earlier this month, and is generally working from her home at the moment.
The mayor called in to GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” Monday to discuss a variety of topics, including the upcoming matchup with Kraft. Wu said she does not know Kraft very well. She has not spoken with him since his candidacy became known, but the two have met briefly a few times and they exchanged a phone call or two, the mayor added.
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Wu touted her work serving the city for 12 years, including eight on City Council. Kraft is already taking a bit of criticism for not yet articulating his political opinions, something that will surely change once he officially announces his candidacy next month.
Wu seemed to jump on the fact that Kraft has not publicly conveyed his stances on a variety of issues.
“Boston residents expect you to know what’s happening, to have clear positions, to be able to get right in there and very clearly explain how you’re going to get things done and how you’re going to make life better,” she said.
Wu said she was looking forward to getting her campaign in full swing so that she can dive into the process of educating the public and sketching out her vision for the next four years.
“At some point, when you’re the candidate, you’re going to have to speak for yourself and not just have the consultants do it for you and be clear about what you’re putting forward,” she said.
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