
Can the Josh Kraft campaign be saved?
I would have guessed he was down 20 points, not 30.
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Before I get to the underwhelming Kraft campaign, let's give Wu her due. Her
She has since moved very effectively to consolidate her support within a broad swath of constituencies. If you heard a few months ago that
And her attacks on Kraft as a
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I've never thought of Wu as enjoying Menino-level popularity or popular affection, but maybe that perception is outdated. She's never felt the love she's getting right now.
Her campaign could hardly be going any better.
Team Kraft responded to the bombshell poll with standard campaign bravado.
'Josh didn't get into the Mayor's race because of what polling says, and nothing has changed his focus on continuing to show up in Boston neighborhoods, talk to residents, and listen to the concerns of many people who are disappointed with this Mayor and the direction the city is going,' his campaign said in a statement. 'The entire campaign team is confident that as residents learn more about Josh, his background of service, and his ideas for the future of Boston, the numbers will move in his direction.'
Note that nowhere does this statement dispute the poll's findings.
What this poll lays bare is that nothing the Kraft campaign is doing is working.
From the outset, it has placed its faith in the belief that Wu is unlikable. And that there is enough disgust around issues like bike lanes and the
But they are clearly misreading the moment. Yes, Bostonians hate the city's terrible traffic. But they don't think Michelle Wu invented it, and they are clearly unmoved by Kraft's promise to freeze bike lanes.
Along the same lines, Team Kraft has also been unable to whip up hysteria over crime. Wu likes to say we live in the safest big city in the country; experts say the superlative 'safest' is disputable. But what matters in this debate is that voters don't view violent crime as an urgent problem in need of fixing.
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Ultimately, fear of crime isn't statistical; it's something voters feel in their bones. Boston residents don't feel unsafe.
So Kraft hasn't found an effective line of attack. It's not that people think Wu is some perfect mayor - of course they don't. But they believe in where she's leading the city, and they don't see why Kraft would be an upgrade.
Finally, voters appear to be wary that Kraft is trying to use his wealth to buy his way into office. According to campaign finance records, Kraft has raised well over $3 million for this race, not counting the millions a Super PAC - 'Your City, Your Future' - has raised to blanket the airwaves with anti-Wu ads on Kraft's behalf. Wu has attacked him relentlessly for trying to buy City Hall, and that seems to be effective.
I firmly believe Kraft's camp erred by going so negative so early. Aggressively attacking Wu before voters had any sense of Kraft wasn't just ineffective - I think it rallied support for her. That partly explains why his numbers are so remarkably low. His campaign has been great - for Wu.
The worst number in this poll for Kraft: Seven. That's the percentage of remaining undecided voters. That is the number that might force him to rethink this entire venture. Because if you're down 30 points and most voters have made up their minds, where do you go for your votes?
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I'm not saying I expect Kraft to drop out. But the questions facing this campaign today are truly existential. Robert Kraft is a man who despises losing and hates throwing away money. He can't relish the prospect of dumping millions of dollars into a blowout loss, and I'm sure he has trusted people on his payroll who know how to analyze a poll.
Josh Kraft is a dedicated, well-meaning civic figure. But what he isn't, to date, is much of a mayoral candidate. Yes, he has millions of dollars left to spend on this race.
But all his riches haven't bought him much so far. Maybe this would be a good time to ask himself why that's likely to change.
Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at

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New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
New Yorkers are still unsure if they'd welcome a socialist mayor, even as Zohran Mamdani leads pack: poll
They're not sold on the socialist. A majority of New Yorkers are uneasy about the possibility socialist Zohran Mamdani will take over City Hall — as a new poll points to a potential mayoral horse race if the firebrand's opponents thin out the crowded field. The proudly far-left Democratic nominee, maintained his frontrunner status in a four-way race with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, according to the poll released Tuesday and paid for by Wick Insights. Advertisement 4 The majority of New Yorkers have concerns about electing Zohran Mamdani as the next mayor of New York City. Paul Martinka But the race becomes neck-and-neck if Mamdani only faces Andrew Cuomo in a head-to-head contest, although the poll found the Queens assemblyman carries the highest favorability of any mayoral candidate. 'Understandably, Adams and Cuomo remain very unpopular,' said political prognosticator Ken Frydman. Advertisement 'Neither of them will become more popular before Election Day. In fact, they may become even more unpopular by then.' 'Voters tend to favor politicians with big smiles and winning personalities like Mamdani more than politicians with dour expressions and personalities like Cuomo.' 4 A poll released Tuesday paid for by Wick Insights shows Mamdani is the current frontrunner in a four-way race for mayor ahead of incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. James Keivom The poll — which surveyed 500 likely voters and did not include longshot independent candidate Jim Walden — provides a portrait of a New York City electorate not yet convinced about electing the untested Mamdani. Advertisement The lack of overwhelming support for the Democratic nominee, who has failed to gain the party establishment's backing, could be because New Yorkers are still uneasy about electing a socialist mayor. The poll shows just 46% of voters would welcome a socialist mayor, while 44% say they would oppose one in Gracie Mansion. 4 Political prognosticator Ken Frydman notes, 'Adams and Cuomo remain very unpopular.' John Roca for NY Post A further 10% said they were not sure whether they'd support or oppose electing a socialist mayor, the poll found. Advertisement And a slim majority of New Yorkers — 53% — said Mamdani's dreamy socialist vision for the Big Apple won't work in the real world, according to the survey. Mamdani, however, was viewed by roughly half of voters as the candidate most focused on the cost of living and to stand up for working people. He was also the only mayoral candidate whose favorability wasn't deep underwater, although the percentage of voters who viewed him favorably — 43% — was the same as those who did unfavorably. The fresh-faced Democrat Mamdani was the clear frontrunner with 39% support in the four-way race with two independents — Adams and Cuomo — and the Republican Sliwa, the poll found. 4 Mamdani leads the four candidates in the poll, receiving 39% of the vote with Cuomo in second place at 21%, Sliwa at third place with 18%, and Adams finishing fourth, recording a lacking 9% from voters in the upcoming general election. Michael McWeeney Cuomo, who was trounced by the upstart socialist in the Democratic primary in June, held onto his second-place status with 21%, while Sliwa came in third with 18%. In a distant fourth, the poll had Adams with an abysmal 9% of support. Mamdani would also handily beat Adams and Sliwa in face-to-face contests, but it was a different story with Cuomo, the poll found. Advertisement Cuomo came in just slightly ahead of Mamdani, 42% to 41%, well within the margin of error for the poll. But political insiders have been leery of taking too much stock in a single poll after the Democratic primary took nearly all of them off guard. Nearly every poll, save one, had Cuomo beating Mamdani in the ranked-choice primary — although they did show the socialist steadily narrowing the gap. Advertisement In the end, Mamdani trounced Cuomo by a 56% to 44% margin and garnered more primary votes than any Big Apple Democrat in more than three decades. Still, Cuomo's spokesman Rich Azzopardi welcomed the poll's finding. 'Make no mistake — this is a race and the governor is talking directly to voters about his practical plans to make New York City more affordable, safer and better run, in direct contrast to Zohran Mamdani's substance-free bumper sticker slogans and Adams' record of mismanagement, self-dealing and, according to his own former police commissioner, corrupting and demoralizing the NYPD,' he said.


Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Ald. Debra Silverstein: Report shows a stunning rise in antisemitism in Chicago. The mayor needs to do better.
The Chicago Commission on Human Relations, or CCHR, just released its annual report on hate crimes and incidents in Chicago, which showed that anti-Jewish hate crimes rose a stunning 58% last year. Antisemitism accounted for more than 37% of all hate crimes reported to the Chicago Police Department in 2024. Jewish Chicagoans make up only 3% of the city's total population, yet we were the target of more than a third of all the hate crimes reported in the entire city. This isn't a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Anti-Jewish hate crimes are up sharply across the nation. Notable and shocking examples include the killing of a young couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, the firebombing attack on rallygoers in Colorado who were raising awareness about the Israeli hostages and the arson attack on Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence in Pennsylvania. Chicago was also rocked last year by an antisemitic terrorist attack in my own West Ridge community. An Orthodox man was shot in the shoulder while walking to synagogue on Shabbat. The victim was dressed in traditional Jewish garb, and he was only saved because his attacker's gun jammed. Police investigations revealed the shooter was specifically targeting Jewish individuals and institutions. Other hateful incidents have been happening across the city, including the painting of swastikas in Little Village and antisemitic graffiti in Hyde Park, and the placement of anti-Jewish cards on car windows in multiple wards. The incidents in CCHR's report have affected communities across Chicago. In response to this disturbing report, Mayor Brandon Johnson is finally starting to pay attention. He has authorized CCHR to convene public hearings on the rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes in Chicago, echoing a call I made last month with the support of the majority of the City Council. I fear this is too little, too late. As alderman of the 50th Ward, home to the largest Orthodox Jewish community in the city of Chicago, I have been raising the alarm about rising antisemitism for years. I hear daily from my community about antisemitic graffiti outside synagogues and the harassing of residents who are visibly Jewish on our streets. The response from City Hall has been anemic at best and often openly hostile to the concerns and fears of the Jewish community. Johnson has made it clear that the safety of Chicago's Jews takes a back seat to his progressive goals, and I worry how receptive he will be to making actual changes in response to the findings of these hearings. I am pleased that the hearings, which will be held in September, will be convened by CCHR. Its members have been tremendous allies to the Jewish community and to vulnerable communities across Chicago. I trust Commissioner Nancy Andrade to preside over fair and balanced hearings and to hear from voices that represent the vast majority of Chicago's Jewish community — even from groups that have feuded with Johnson in the past — including the Jewish United Fund, Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee and Simon Wiesenthal Center. Jay Tcath: The phrase 'Free Palestine' is freeing no one, but it is killing some of usHowever, I have concerns about whether the mayor's office will allow CCHR to develop an accurate report that reflects the genuine fears of Chicago's Jewish community, especially if the hearings reveal that the mayor's progressive allies have contributed to the antisemitic environment in the city. The CCHR hate crimes report indicates that the rise in antisemitism in Chicago is fueled by misguided reactions to the Israel-Hamas war. Antisemitic people around the world have been using the war as a pretext to spew anti-Jewish hate under the cover of anti-Zionism, as if shooting at Jews in Chicago somehow makes Palestinians in Gaza safer. Much of this rhetoric in Chicago has come from the mayor's progressive allies and at events that the mayor has either praised or supported, such as the college encampments, Chicago Public Schools walkouts and protests that call to 'globalize the intifada.' How will City Hall react if Jewish CPS students testify that they were threatened and intimidated during the school protests, when the mayor already praised the students for walking out? How will the mayor respond to Jewish students who were attacked at DePaul University when his closest allies were at the encampments where knives, pellet guns and other improvised weapons were found? These extreme anti-Israel demonstrations hide under the guise of free speech but are really part of a growing movement of unchecked antisemitism masquerading as political activism. Will the mayor allow the CCHR hearings to reveal this fact or are we in for sanitized proceedings that refuse to address the root causes of anti-Jewish hate in Chicago? Can we expect actual change or just more thoughts and prayers from our city leadership? We will wait and see. But I promise that the Jewish community is tired of being silent. You will continue to hear from us as long as antisemitism remains at crisis levels. And I hope that our allies and every person of conscience in Chicago join us.


Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Chris Newman is at the center of the immigration fight — again
Chris Newman was carrying two bags when we recently sat down for breakfast at Homegirl Café in downtown Los Angeles. One was a newish satchel holding his laptop and papers for the cases he's working on, which happen to involve some of the most infamous moments in the Trump administration's deportation deluge. Newman was co-counsel on a lawsuit that won a temporary restraining order against the indiscriminate immigration raids that have afflicted Southern California since June. He also represents the family of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a day laborer who was mistakenly deported to his native El Salvador in the spring, then returned on the order of a federal judge. At the Border Patrol's takeover of MacArthur Park earlier this month, Newman was there shooting video and deriding the spectacle as 'a dystopian episode of 'The Apprentice.'' 'If we can litigate the calamity [of Trump] at the local level to the widest degree, that can help democracy survive, dude,' Newman told me as he picked at black beans and two eggs over easy. The other bag, a big straw tote, was filled with anti-Trump and anti-migra T-shirts, posters and stickers. Wherever Newman goes these days, he hands them out like a progressive Santa Claus. 'I want to keep the proper amount of anger to have the fuel to do all this,' he said. 'The pendulum is sweeping so wide and so fast. We need to be ready.' For the past 21 years, Newman has been a pivotal, omnipresent part of Southern California's immigrant rights movement as legal director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, better known as NDLON. His work takes him from street corners advising jornaleros about their rights to my alma mater, UCLA, where he's on the faculty of the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. Newman's influence extends far past Los Angeles, however. He's a regular presence on national media outlets, quick and eloquent with insights and righteous anger. Politicians from Sacramento to Washington know he isn't afraid to tear into them if he thinks they're too timid to publicly call out xenophobia or support laws that protect the undocumented. 'He does not mind being the bad cop,' said Angela Chan, assistant chief attorney at the San Francisco public defender's office. In her previous job last decade, she and Newman helped craft a trio of bills that made California a sanctuary state. 'It can make a meeting very uncomfortable, but Chris is cutting all the bulls— so you get much closer to having an honest conversation,' Chan said. 'He does not expect or pursue pomp or circumstance.' Salvador Reza, a longtime organizer in Phoenix, first worked with Newman in the mid-2000s after asking NDLON to help pressure the city to let day laborers seek work. Newman participated in forums, organized rallies and ultimately convinced city officials to lay off by citing a 2006 lawsuit against Redondo Beach that he had worked on. In that case, an ordinance banning day laborers was ruled unconstitutional. Newman and Reza went on to wage many successful campaigns in Arizona, from defeating Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio at the ballot box to fighting local law enforcement agencies partnering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The two even convinced music legends like Zack de la Rocha, Los Tigres del Norte and the late Jenni Rivera to bypass the Copper State during their tours in 2010 to protest a state bill that sought to make life miserable for undocumented immigrants. 'He cares a lot about people, and he'll go out of his way to help out anyone who needs it who's being abused by the system,' said Reza, who saw Newman earlier this year when the two met with Home Depot managers over allegations that their stores in Phoenix were chasing off day laborers. 'He's super busy over there in California right now, isn't he?' A fast talker who exudes confidence but isn't a braggart, Newman looks far younger than 49. His full head of hair, round-framed glasses and freshly sprouted mustache gives the Chicagoland native the look of a Depression-era do-gooder. 'I'm trying to hold onto the anger stage so I don't get into the sad stage,' he said. 'And I don't want to get there because that'll lead to the acceptance stage, and too much of L.A. is already there.' Newman never planned for a career like this, even though his mother was from Denmark, his father is a Hungarian Jew and his brother is of Salvadoran descent. He attended law school in Denver, set on becoming a death penalty lawyer, until realizing 'it wasn't like I thought it was in the movies.' A mentor suggested that Newman recharge his bleeding heart by volunteering with Minsun Ji, founder of Denver's first day laborers' center. 'I didn't even know day laborers were a thing,' Newman admitted. But he immediately 'loved everything — just hanging out there, chewing the fat and hearing the stories of the jornaleros.' Ji assigned him to help clean the restrooms his first few weeks. Newman eventually graduated to handling wage theft cases and volunteered for whatever was needed, including driving a van full of day laborers to an NDLON conference in suburban Maryland in 2002. There, he heard Thomas Saenz, an attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund who led a successful lawsuit against Prop. 187, the 1994 California anti-immigrant ballot initiative. Saenz told the crowd about MALDEF's lawsuits against Southern California cities that were trying to ban day laborers. 'That's when I realized I could use my law degree to do the exact same thing,' Newman said. '[It was] something that I loved in theory, but I didn't realize it was happening in real life.' About a year later, he called NDLON co-founder Pablo Alvarado. 'It was at eight at night, and I was still at the [NDLON] office,' Alvarado said in a phone interview. 'And Chris said, 'I want to do a fellowship with you. The fellowship deadline is at three in the afternoon the next day. Can I go right now so we can write it?'' He began to laugh. 'We didn't sleep all night, but we did it — we finished his application. And Chris never left.' (Newman remembers the moment differently. He said he applied for the fellowship, but Alvarado forgot about it until the day before it was due.) Twenty-one years later, Alvarado says Newman's energy and verisimilitude haven't changed. 'Even though he's a lawyer, his feet are on the ground — he's not an elitist. By 8 in the morning, he will have read every article written that day about immigration. He'll tell me what we need to do, and then he goes out and does it.' Like the Abrego Garcia case. Newman called Abrego Garcia's lawyer to offer help, then connected with the family to organize a GoFundMe campaign through NDLON. Next was enlisting artists in a social media campaign to make Abrego Garcia's predicament go viral. Soon, Newman was on a flight to El Salvador in an unsuccessful bid to visit the imprisoned Abrego Garcia, something he would try two more times. 'It felt like a Venn diagram of everything I've worked for over the past 20 years,' said Newman, who has yet to speak to Abrego Garcia. 'At the time, we had no idea whether he was innocent or guilty. What mattered is that he deserved due process.' Soon after Newman's last visit to El Salvador, L.A.'s summer of deportation raids began. I concluded our breakfast by asking if Newman was optimistic that things might get better. Instead of cowering under Trump's boot, L.A. has stood up. The day we met, the Pentagon announced that half of the 4,000 National Guard members deployed in Southern California in the wake of anti-ICE protests would leave. 'I'm a Cornel West disciple,' Newman responded. 'And he said there's a difference between hope and optimism.' West defined optimism as based on a rational analysis of what's out there, while hope is an act of courage against what seems like impossible odds. 'No one has ever accused me of being an optimist,' Newman said. He kept thinking about it. 'I don't know, but I think the tide will turn. I remember when Arpaio had an 85% approval rating. And he went down.' He got more animated. 'I know people can turn the tide, but they have to do their part.' He reached into his straw tote and brought out his anti-migra swag — a T-shirt emblazoned with 'Arrest Trump, Not Migrants,' bumper stickers reading 'ICE Out of LA!' with the 'LA' in Dodgers style, red-and-white signs declaring 'I.C.E. Off My Property Get A Warrant!' Our waitress came with the bill, then looked at the T-shirt. 'That's really cool!' she exclaimed. 'Want it?' Newman replied as he handed it to her. Other Homegirl staffers grabbed stickers and signs. As we exited the cafe, Newman left a stack on a table next to the door. 'I'm going to go to Highland Park later to ask businesses if they want to post them on their windows,' he said as a customer eyed the signs. 'Go ahead and take it, man,' Newman urged. 'Take a bunch!'