Boston voters split on Mayor Wu as immigration tops list of concerns, poll finds

BOSTON — Mayor Michelle Wu’s approval ratings are nearly evenly split, setting the stage for a competitive 2025 mayoral election, according to a new poll conducted by Princeton Research Associates (PRA).

The survey of 400 likely voters, conducted from March 20 to March 31, revealed that 38.6% approved of Wu’s performance as mayor, while 38.2% disapproved, and 23.2% were unsure. The city itself, however, seems to be viewed more positively: 55% of voters believe Boston is headed in the right direction, compared to 45% who say it’s on the wrong track.

Lou DiNatale, the pollster who spearheads PRA, described the polarization around Wu as “somewhat unusual,” especially given her overall favorability numbers, which stood at 52.2% favorable versus 41.3% unfavorable.

“If you look at some of the other numbers—the right direction, wrong track for the city—that’s a pretty positive number, and her favorability is pretty good,” DiNatale explained. “This could be a problem for her because when people like you, they may like you, but they don’t seem to be voting for her.”

Wu faces competition primarily from Josh Kraft, who holds significant name recognition but lower favorability ratings, with only 24% of respondents viewing him favorably. Kraft received support from 20.5% of voters in a hypothetical preliminary election, trailing Wu’s 35%. Former Boston Redevelopment Authority executive director Tom O’Brien garnered 14.1% support but withdrew from the race while the poll was being conducted, according to DiNatale.

If the preliminary election for Mayor were held today, for whom would you vote?

Candidate	Count	Percent
Michelle Wu	140	35.0%
Josh Kraft	82	20.5%
Tom O’Brien	57	14.1%
Domingos DaRosa	16	4.0%
Other	12	3.1%
Undecided	93	23.3%
Total	400	100%

“Kraft has a high reputation recognition rate, but his favorable, unfavorable isn’t too good,” DiNatale said. “Kraft is lucky that O’Brien dropped out of the race.”

DiNatale noted O’Brien could have been a serious contender had he remained in the contest: “If O’Brien had stuck and he had come out on top in the preliminary—in second place—he could have been a serious contender against her. But he may have been intimidated by Wu’s incumbency and Kraft’s money.”

Local neighborhood activist Domingos DaRosa, who is still in the race, has minimal chances of winning, DiNatale said, but he could siphon votes away from Wu, potentially affecting the outcome. In the poll, 13% of respondents viewed DaRosa favorably (very or somewhat), while another 13% viewed him unfavorably. A majority — 58% — said they had never heard of him, and 16% were unsure or had no opinion.

Meanwhile, immigration topped the list of voter concerns, identified by 34.6% of respondents as the most pressing issue facing their families—well ahead of housing (20.9%) and education (15.2%). Less pressing were traffic (12.3%), development (8.2%), and other issues (8.8%). DiNatale clarified the demographic breakdown behind these results: “Number one, it’s heavily male. About three-quarters of it is male. You’re also not sure when they say immigration whether or not they’re in favor of immigration or they’re opposed to immigration.”

Another issue addressed in the poll was whether Mayor Wu should have spent taxpayer money to testify before Congress—voters were nearly split on this issue, with 45.2% agreeing and 44.1% disagreeing.

Regarding voter openness to having a real estate developer run the city, 45.1% opposed this idea, while only 34.3% were in favor.

With 23.3% of voters still undecided, DiNatale noted incumbents typically prefer fewer undecided voters, as challengers usually find it easier to gain these votes.

“An incumbent never likes to see a significant undecided because they’ve already performed, and their opponent has not,” DiNatale added.

Despite these challenges, DiNatale concluded Kraft remains a long shot to defeat Wu.

“Everybody’s got a chance, but I think he’s a long shot,” DiNatale said. “It’s very hard to beat an incumbent mayor.”

Who was polled?
The survey sample consisted of 400 likely voters across Boston:

• Party registration: 40.1% Democrat, 5% Republican, 54.9% unenrolled or affiliated with another party.
• Ethnicity: 49.1% white, 22.4% Black, 19.1% Hispanic/Latino, 8.4% Asian, 1% other or mixed.
• Age: 23.3% were between 18–29 years old, the largest age group.
• Gender: 53.1% female, 46.4% male, and 0.5% identified as nonbinary or other.