New Balance CEO Jim Davis’s $1 million donation to Josh Kraft’s super PAC is bad optics for Kraft and more ammo for Mayor Michelle Wu, who is trying to tie Kraft to the rich white Trump guy club.
Davis, a billionaire and Republican donor who has gotten involved in Boston races before, gave $1 million to the PAC called Your City, Your Future, which is backing Kraft, campaign finance records show.
The disclosure that Davis is indirectly bankrolling Kraft may benefit his campaign financially but undercuts his message, which is struggling to gain traction against the lefty favorite Wu.
The mayor has previously charged that wealthy developers and business interests are behind Kraft’s campaign, so the Davis donation plays right into her hands.
What’s next, a Trump endorsement?
Davis donated almost $400,000 to the Trump Victory Committee in 2016 and has given millions to Republican candidates throughout the country. He has also supported Democrats like the late Tom Menino.
In the days before the 2021 Boston preliminary election, Davis donated $495,000 to a super PAC backing Wu’s eventual opponent, Annissa Essaibi George and that caused some controversy.
“Jim shares Annissa’s love for the city of Boston and her passion for providing opportunities for every Bostonian,” a New Balance spokesperson said at the time.
One big difference in this race is that Josh Kraft doesn’t need the financial support. He is capable of raising millions from his family wealth and from wealthy friends and supporters.
Wu has several super PACs backing her and has more than $1 million in her campaign account.
Kraft has repeatedly emphasized that he’s a registered Democrat now even though Boston’s election is nonpartisan, and has disavowed any ties to Trump though his father, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is a Trump supporter.
Super PACs are legally prohibited from coordinating with campaigns.
A spokesman for Kraft’s campaign declined to comment on the Davis donation to Your City, Your Future.
That silence speaks volumes.
From day one of his campaign, Kraft has sought to distance himself from Trump and the Republican Party, saying he doesn’t follow in his father’s footsteps when it comes to political leanings.
The disclosure of Davis’s contribution on Wednesday came on the same day Kraft was trying to get attention for releasing his first digital ad of the campaign highlighting Wu’s support for the costly White Stadium renovation.
“By every measure, Mayor Wu has failed to solve Boston’s housing crisis,” Kraft says in the ad. “At the same time, (she) has committed to spending ‘whatever it costs’ to rebuild White Stadium, a facility which will primarily benefit wealthy private investors instead of BPS student athletes.”
Davis also got involved in the 2023 and 2021 races, donating more than $1 million to an outside group trying to defeat Wu in 2021 and pouring money into several city council races two years ago.
Several council candidates were forced to disavow the Davis contributions from a super PAC called “Forward Boston,” citing his Republican connections.