Once revered in New England, Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft may find his family name to be a double-edged sword on the campaign trail – giving him a financial edge but also some heavy baggage.
Kraft’s campaign has already started raking in $1,000 donations from big-pocketed donors like auto mogul Herb Chambers, construction magnate Jay Cashman, PR executive George Regan and New Balance chairman Jim Davis thanks to his family’s connections, raising more than $100,000 already, according to records.
He’s also expected to reach into his own wallet to fund the campaign, allowing him to compete with incumbent Michelle Wu.
But Kraft’s father, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, has lost a lot of his luster in the last few years as the players have stunk on the field and fans blame him for letting the team slip into an NFL doormat.
The Patriots and Kraft are a long way from the Tom Brady championship years when nothing could go wrong and the owner was celebrated for saving the team from extinction.
The latest blow to the Kraft name is a players’ association report card where the Patriots are near last place in overall ownership, team facilities and how they treat their players – from day care to the outdated planes they use to go to away games.
The team record this decade is a dismal 33-52, without a single playoff win – far from the glory days when the Pats won six Super Bowls.
Robert Kraft finished with a D grade as team owner, ahead of only three other owners. And judging by sports talk radio, Kraft’s grade isn’t any better with fans.
It may be why Josh Kraft downplayed his family connection in launching his campaign.
Kraft would be the first mayor in recent history with potential business conflicts. Voters may ask: are we handing the keys to Robert and Jonathan Kraft’s family business interests?
“I’m asking the city of Boston to set aside any ideas they may have about me based on my last name,” Josh Kraft said.
Robert Kraft did speak at the launch of his son’s campaign finance committee, and contributed the maximum $1,000, according to records. But Robert Kraft’s support of President Donald Trump – as well as his arrest for soliciting prostitution at the Orchids of Asia massage parlor in Florida – could make Democratic voters in Boston uneasy. The charge against Kraft was eventually dropped.
“While Josh may disagree with his father on some things, he is grateful for his unconditional love and support in all things, including this campaign,” the campaign told Politico.
It’s going to be difficult for Josh Kraft, who was in charge of the Patriots’ philanthropic arm, to separate himself from the team and his father, who has spoken openly about his support for the campaign.
“(Josh) has always been someone who is, sort of like his mama, blessed of memory who always has served the community,” Robert Kraft told NewsCenter 5’s Maria Stephanos. “He’s just done wonderful work with our philanthropy and reached out to so many. I think the city of Boston would be very privileged and lucky.”
It remains to be seen whether voters agree. Wu has a double digit lead over Josh Kraft, according to an Emerson poll, so he has a lot of ground to make up over the next few months.
Kraft had 27% of voters rate him favorably, 24% unfavorably, 36% neutrally and 13% have never heard of him, according to the poll.