Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft backtracked on his campaign promise to implement a rent control plan, saying that he envisions an “opt-in” program that would incentivize landlords to keep rent

In 2022, Brett Smiley, a relative moderate, became mayor of Providence after vowing to address housing and public safety. In 2023, a Democrat who favored forcibly removing homeless people and said he wanted to make the City Council more conservative won in Portland, Maine.

Mayor Wu is both gearing up for a competitive race against Kraft and preparing to testify before Congress about Boston's "sanctuary" policies.