Mayor Michelle Wu's Second Term: Re-Election Victory and Policy Priorities

Wu with Senator Elizabeth Warren, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, and Lawrence, Massachusetts Mayor Dan Rivera. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

On Tuesday, November 5, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was re-elected to a second term after running unopposed in the 2025 general election.

Wu was initially positioned to run against Josh Kraft, philanthropist and son of the New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. After Wu led votes in the primary election by a margin of nearly 50%, Kraft, whose campaign ran largely on criticisms of Wu’s first term, ultimately decided to withdraw from the race. Wu won the municipal election with 93.23% of the votes, with the remaining 6.77% as write-ins. 

“This year, against the backdrop of a federal administration’s chaos and cruelty, we faced a choice,” said Wu in her election night victory speech. “Cave to the pressure, backtrack, and change course, or double down on the values that founded our nation.”

Wu made headlines during her first term for numerous battles against the Trump administration. Most notably, she has been outspoken in her opposition to Trump’s immigration policies and enforcement. In September, the Department of Justice sued Wu for reaffirming Boston's status as a sanctuary city, alleging interference with the federal government’s immigration policies. The lawsuit also targets the Boston Police Department, which, under the Boston Trust Act, is prohibited from detaining or arresting an individual due to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) administered warrant.  

Earlier this year in March, Mayor Wu testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee to defend Boston’s immigration policies and sanctuary city status after the Committee launched an investigation into public safety and federal enforcement for several U.S. cities. Alongside the mayors of Chicago, Denver, and New York, Wu asserted the validity of the Boston Trust Act and highlighted the city’s successes in repressing gang violence and significantly lowering homicide rates. Wu further attested to her commitment to make Boston a welcoming place for immigrants. 

For her next term, Wu remains dedicated to this sentiment. "I still say 100 times a day, I am fighting to make Boston a home for everyone," she told WCVB in an interview. As her inauguration date comes closer, Wu’s team plans to continue to spearhead progress and bring Boston communities together. 

Michelle Wu’s first term as mayor focused on housing, education, environmental policy, and economic development. In 2024, under the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity, summer jobs were promised to every Boston Public Schools student who needed one. As a city council member, Wu was the lead sponsor of Boston’s Green New Deal, a bill including a series of projects and policies aimed at addressing climate change combined with the intersection of environmental and racial injustice. Although in its early stages, Wu also championed PowerCorpsBOS, which provides training for young adults interested in the green industry. The program prioritizes court-involved residents and youth experiencing homelessness.  

From 2022 to 2024, Wu’s administration created over 17,000 housing units in Boston. Another housing initiative provided 5,455 income-restricted housing units and converted unused spaces into liveable ones. At the beginning of 2022, Wu earmarked $50 million for apartment complex improvements in Jamaica Plain. 

However, not all campaign promises were kept. In 2023, Wu pulled out of a Massachusetts pilot program allowing ten communities or cities to ban fossil fuels in new construction buildings. While she reasoned that the program did not accommodate Boston’s large population and electrical system, critics argue that this action was detrimental to her ambitious climate goals. Wu’s actions targeting encampments at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard with the Unlawful Camping Ordinance have also been particularly controversial. Some advocates claim that these efforts to improve public safety are at the expense of people experiencing homelessness.  

Wu’s re-election was one of many election night victories for Democrats across the country, as it accompanied New York’s election of Zohran Mamdani and the largest turnout of voters in a New York City mayoral race in more than fifty years. Other notable achievements occurred in New Jersey, Virginia, and California, with Democrats scoring huge electoral victories across the board. Mayor Wu’s initial election was historic, as she is the first Asian American and the first woman to hold her position. With Wu’s ambitious environmental, housing, and education goals, Boston may emerge as one of the cities best equipped to strive towards the path of progress and to ignite hope in an uncertain political climate.