Lucas: Make way for Wu

Josh Kraft would have been better off if he hadn t made the cut in the first place Now he is out of it anyway His father Robert Kraft billionaire owner of the New England Patriots should have reported him that Instead he exhibited up at Josh s campaign headquarters on Tuesday night for Josh s electoral process night mastery Certain achievement Josh got clobbered If Josh were on his father s New England Patriots association he would have been lucky to make the practice squad let alone become Michelle Wu s practice dummy Coming in a distant second he was locked in a one-on-one grueling campaign with Wu a campaign he was unable to win despite throwing particular million more of his own money into it Tuesday s preliminary polling was a skirmish between a well-heeled political novice and a seasoned political pro and the pro won For Wu it was a workout before the match which is the vote in November Wu s substantial conquest in Tuesday s preliminary voting guarantees her reelection But she was going to win anyway whether Kraft was in or out Kraft at may have been eighteen years older than Wu but incumbent Wu had almost eighteen years more political and campaign experience than Kraft Issues aside how could a divorced single man of late relocated to Boston with zero political experience run against a young articulate woman of color who despite a compassionate appearance also happens to be as tough as nails Boston can t be bought she stated to Kraft You can also throw in that she is married and the mother of three who campaigned carrying her latest newborn around while her husband was at home caring for the other two If that were not an obstacle enough for a first-time candidate like Kraft to overcome he had to face the reality that Wu put together a political organization that the late four-term Mayor Kevin White would envy And she has had time to do it beginning with her first job working for Tom Meino in campaigning for Sen Elizabeth Warren in and then getting elected as an at-large candidate to the Boston city Council four times in a row before being elected mayor four years ago White may have been The loner in love with his city as one of his effective campaign slogans described him but the city appeared to be in love with Wu given her lopsided mastery Had Kraft studied the political situation and been recipient he could have run at large for the City Council From there after a term or two he could have begun his campaign for mayor just as Wu did Unlike Kraft all of Boston s past six mayors White Ray Flynn Tom Menino Marty Walsh Kim Janey acting mayor and Wu held elected community offices before becoming mayor It is not likely that Wu given her reelection will seek a third term It is workable that she might not even complete a second term should other political opportunities arise Wu is a rising star in the Democrat Party And she is young It is notable that despite her status Wu did not win the endorsement of fellow Democrat Gov Maura Healey who must now consider Wu a competitor While both have stood up to Trump over ICE raids in Boston and Massachusetts aimed at scoping up criminal illegal immigrants Wu mayor of a sanctuary city has snatched the headlines from the governor If she were interested Wu could run for governor in upon the completion of a second Healey term if as expected Healey is reelected in Or she could wait for a U S Senate seat to open Sen Eddie Markey with fifty years in Washington will be years old if he is reelected in Or he could drop out and make way for Wu So could Warren pack it in Warren will be if she runs again in Wu is half their age Make way for Wu Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas can be reached at peter lucas bostonherald com Photo by Paul Connors Media News Group Boston HeraldJosh Kraft aimed high and has now bowed out Paul Connors Boston Herald