BOSTON — Mayor Michelle Wu is poised to advance comfortably in the city’s upcoming preliminary election, according to a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe CityView poll released Monday, July 21, 2025.
In the Boston mayoral race, Wu leads with 60 percent support among likely voters, far ahead of her closest challenger, nonprofit executive Josh Kraft, who polled at 30 percent. Community advocate Domingos DaRosa received 3 percent, while former Boston School Committee member Robert Cappucci received 1 percent. Seven percent of respondents remain undecided.
In addition, Wu’s favorability rating was 66 percent, with 28 percent of respondents viewing her unfavorably. Kraft’s favorability rating skewed negative, with 36 percent viewing him favorably and 42 percent unfavorably.
The Suffolk/Globe poll, which was conducted July 13–16 among 500 likely voters, found Wu leading across nearly all age groups, racial demographics, and political affiliations. Among voters aged 18–34, 65% supported Wu and 24% supported Kraft. Wu also led among voters 50–64, with 60% supporting Wu and 28% supporting Kraft, and among those aged 65+, 55% support Wu, while 38% support Kraft. Her support was strong across all racial groups, with 75% of Asian respondents, 60% of Black respondents, 52% of Hispanic respondents, and 63% of white respondents favoring Wu.
Wu also dominated among Democrats (77%), while Kraft performed better among Republicans (78%) and Independents (45%), compared to Wu’s 19% and 38% in those groups, respectively. However, Republicans and Independents made up a much smaller portion of the likely electorate, with 5 percent of the poll’s respondents being Republican and 33 percent Independent, suggesting Wu’s advantage among Democrats—who comprised 59% of respondents—puts her in a strong position heading into the preliminary election.
“Mayor Wu is in a strong position for re-election as we look toward the September preliminary,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “This poll also gives us some important insights into where her main challenger, Kraft, is edging her among certain sections of the electorate.”
Paleologos said Wu led by wide margins across most demographic groups in the city, including respondents with children in the Boston Public School system and union households. However, Kraft outperformed her among households with a public safety worker, leading 52 percent to 38 percent, and among self-identified conservatives, where he held a 64 percent to 28 percent advantage—though (again) conservatives represent only a small share of the likely September electorate.
Housing and cost of living remain top concerns for Boston residents heading into the election, according to the Suffolk/Globe poll. Twenty-six percent of respondents identified housing as the most important issue, followed by 17 percent who cited the economy and jobs. The poll also reflected public sentiment on local policy: 50 percent of respondents said that bike lanes have made commuting slower and less convenient, while 25 percent rated Boston Public Schools as “poor.”
