By Ella Adams and Eric Convey | | Top four April campaign fundraisers are figures duking it out for Boston mayoral, gubernatorial races | | |
As the campaign rollouts chug along and the battles for office become increasingly fierce (see: the Boston mayoral race), dollars are rolling in like April showers.
The four candidates who raked in the most April cash are the same ones dominating campaign coverage. In order, those are Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Republican candidate for governor Mike Kennealy, Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft and Gov. Maura Healey, according to state campaign finance regulators..
The 2026 race for governor has a long way to go — more than a year of additional fundraising, potentially additional candidates (looking at you, Brian Shortsleeve and Peter Durant), and an ever-changing federal landscape that has already made a stamp on gubernatorial campaigning.
But to kick it off, Keannealy, who announced his campaign on April 7, has pulled in more than $311,000. Healey's April fundraising sat just below $165,000, though her on-hand cash far outweighs Kennealy's. The Keannealy campaign is also already fielding some fundraising questions — Massachusetts Democrats filed a complaint this week following what appeared to be a collection of thousands of dollars in donations above the allowable limit.
Focusing on the two figures duking it out Boston: Wu raked in almost $377,000 in April and has about $2.2 million on hand, according to campaign finance data. Her challenger, Kraft, pulled in just over $197,000 and has around $155,000 on hand.
Where's it all coming from? On Wu's end, max-contribution donors over the last couple of months include figures like Boston Legacy FC founder Jennifer Epstein, MassHealth Chief of Staff Celia Segel and leadership at the New England Aquarium.
On Kraft's end, there's a dotting of familial ties. Kraft's millionaire father, Robert, all three of his brothers, and several additional Kraft Group-, New England Patriots-, and New England Revolution-affiliated names are among high donors. Others include New Balance Chairman Jim Davis, Massachusetts Port Authority Board of Directors Chair Patricia Jacobs and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Those donations don't account for the power super PACs are expected to hold in this race, enabling donors to shell out unlimited sums to candidates of their choosing. That flooding already began when New Balance's Davis donated $1 million in early April to a super PAC supporting Kraft. — Ella Adams
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9:00 | Senate Pres. Spilka accepts the Associated Industries of Massachusetts' Frances Perkins Award for leadership in passing wage equity and transparency legislation | The Westin Boston Seaport District, 425 Summer St., Boston
10:30 | Gov. Healey announces new initiatives to support older adults and show Massachusetts commitment to being an age-friendly state to mark Older Americans Month | Plymouth Center for Active Living, 44 Nook Road, Plymouth
10:30 | Providers' Council hosts its annual Caring Force Rally and lobby day. Senate Pres. Spilka gives remarks | Great Hall
11:00 | Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants holds its annual advocacy day | Room 428
1:30 | Nature for Massachusetts Coalition, a group of environmental and conservation organizations and advocates, hosts a campaign launch event | Room 428
6:00 | Science Club for Girls hosts its annual Catalyst Awards, which recognize women leaders in STEM fields. Gov. Healey shares remarks via video, according to her office | The Grand, 58 Seaport Blvd. #300, Boston
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Attorney with political background to challenge Lynch in U.S. House primary
Patrick Roath, a Boston-based corporate attorney and voting rights advocate who previously was a campaign and office aide to former Gov. Deval Patrick, is challenging U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch in the Democratic primary for U.S. House, the Globe reports. Roath is 38 years old, grew up in Connecticut and attended Tufts University. Lynch, 70, is from South Boston and was an iron worker before earning a law degree and eventually running successfully for Congress. — Boston Globe
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Critics of Steamship Authority want term limits
Critics of the Steamship Authority, which serves Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket along with ports on Cape Cod and in Southeastern Massachusetts, want term limits for board members, the MVTimes’s Eunki Seonwoo reports. The board has five members who aren’t paid, though they, their spouses and their children travel free on most Steamship Authority vessels. — Martha’s Vineyard Times
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Fernandes Anderson hasn't resigned, special election out of the picture
The deadline for embattled Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson to step down and trigger a special election for her District 7 seat has now passed. Fernandes Anderson had to resign before today, May 8, for a special election to be scheduled — the race will now be delayed until the fall election cycle, leaving her district without representation between when she resigns and the next election. The district includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End. Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty in April to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft, and said recently when asked when she would resign that "it looks like June," so that District 7 would have a voice on the city budget.
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Another Berkshires town moving away from volunteer firefighters
Egremont is the latest town in the Berkshires to embrace full-time, paid firefighters, the Eagle’s Heather Bellow reports. Residents at Town Meeting voted to fund two $65,000-a-year full-time positions. They also increased the pay of the fire chief to $100,000 per year from $23,000 and to make that position full-time as well. — Berkshire Eagle
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Protestors oppose green energy plant siting process
Protestors greeted members of the state Energy Facilities Siting Board on Monday when they arrived for a public meeting in Holyoke, the Gazette’s Alexa Lewis reports. The demonstrators’ contention is that the state’s choice of locations for green energy projects risks positioning them to do more harm than good. State officials said new siting regulations create a balance between the interests of communities and of companies that want to build facilities. — Daily Hampshire Gazette
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Public comments suggest residents largely opposed to State Forest cutting plan
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation received more than 100 written responses to the controversial restoration plan that would clear the State Forest of 175 acres of non-native white pine plantations. In late April, the state told the MVTimes that it was considering next steps in the process, although the majority of people who are opposed to the project are calling for either an extension on the plan or a complete stop to the project. — MVTimes
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Cambridge City Council takes on rental brokers
Cambridge has joined Boston and Somerville in asking state lawmakers to stop landlords from hiring brokers who collect fees from renters as part of the leasing process, the Globe’s Spencer Buell reports. “Housing in Cambridge is incredibly expensive, and the broker’s fee adds an additional cost on top of that,” said one of the city’s nine councilors, all of whom voted in favor of the resolution. — Boston Globe
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Third candidate enters Northampton mayoral race
A third candidate has entered the running for mayor of the city of Northampton, the Gazette’s Samuel Gelinas reports. Jillian Duclos’s experience includes running the Downtown Northampton Association. Among her goals, she said, will be creating a more energetic climate in the city. The other two candidates are incumbent Gina-Louise Sciarra and former Northampton police officer David Dombrowski. — Daily Hampshire Gazette
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Economists tout economic contributions of immigrants
Some economists say Massachusetts stands to suffer a big hit to economic productivity and tax revenue as President Trump makes good on his campaign promises to reduce the number of immigrants staying, and entering, the country illegally, the Herald’s Matthew Medsger reports. “I want to articulate how much the financial hit will be to Massachusetts: I’m estimating that next year, that tax revenue will decline by $1 billion, GDP will decline by at least $12.8 billion, and over the Trump Administration — through 2028 — we’re looking at these numbers doubling,” Mark Williams, a master lecturer in finance at Boston University, said during a Pioneer Institute webinar. — Boston Herald
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Zach Bryan buys Lowell church slated to become Jack Kerouac Center
The Kerouac Estate is announcing that country star Zach Bryan has purchased the St. Jean Baptiste Church in Lowell, which is set to become the home of the multipurpose Jack Kerouac Center. Bryan had reached out when learning that the plans had been put on hold for a variety of reasons, and has considered Kerouac an inspiration in his career. — Boston Globe
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Charles River Labs agrees to strategic review
Contract-research service provider Charles River Laboratories has agreed to a strategic review and has four new board members chosen by an activist investor, the BBJ’s Hannah Green reports. The investor is Elliot Investment Management. On an earnings call this week, Charles River Chief Executive James Foster said the agreement with Elliot will provide an “opportunity to take a fresh look at the whole portfolio.” — Boston Business Journal
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