Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn has decided not to run for mayor against Michelle Wu this year, sources confirmed, creating a possible but difficult path for philanthropist Josh Kraft to take on the popular incumbent mayor.

Kraft, son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is going to make a decision by next month but is now “leaning” towards running, one source said.

That would set up a likely titanic one-on-one match between a powerful incumbent and a wealthy philanthropist businessman whose last name is well known in the Boston area.

Flynn has concluded he can’t raise the $5 million minimum to challenge Wu and will run for reelection to his South Boston council seat instead, sources close to Flynn said.

Flynn’s move to pass on the mayoral race in 2025 removes one big obstacle to Wu’s second term. He has emerged as a fierce critic of the mayor, taking her on for her White Stadium redevelopment plan, her public safety record and numerous other issues.

But Kraft remains as a possible challenger to the first-term mayor. Sources say he will spend some of his own money in the race — a formidable sum that could force Wu to try and match it.

One source said with Flynn out of the race, it creates a much more favorable environment for Kraft to run. Both would have been competing for the same moderate to conservative voting group.

Kraft, who has never run for office before and runs the Patriots’ philanthropic ventures, a few months ago commissioned a mayoral poll but has remained tight-lipped about his plans.

Toppling an incumbent mayor has historically almost never been done in Boston, which has a strong mayoral form of government. So Kraft would face an uphill battle from Wu, who won with more than 60% of the vote in her first mayoral race and has tight control of City Hall.

But Wu has been exposed over the last year for tough criticism for a number of her decisions, including going ahead with spending at least $91 million developing White Stadium for a women’s professional soccer team despite stiff neighborhood opposition.

Wu also suffered a major political blow last year when her plan to hike commercial taxes was defeated in the Legislature.

Kraft’s political adviser, Will Keyser, did not comment on Flynn’s withdrawal from the race.

It’s unclear what impact the turmoil in the New England Patriots organization will have on Kraft’s political decision.

The Pats finished the season with just four wins and some of the fans’ unhappiness has been directed at owner Robert Kraft, who this week fired first-year coach Jerod Mayo.

Wu is due to give birth to her third child this month, but has not said yet whether she’ll take a full maternity leave. She is expected to make an announcement about her reelection campaign soon – but has said she plans to run.

Wu’s feud with Flynn, son of former Mayor Raymond L. Flynn, led many observers to think that a mayoral match was coming. Wu several months ago held a big-ticket fundraiser in Flynn’s home neighborhood of South Boston – which was viewed as a signal that she didn’t intend to back down from a political threat.

Wu’s neighborhood liaison in Flynn’s South Boston-Chinatown district, Chulan Huang, is now even viewed as a possible challenger to Flynn in his upcoming city council race.

The mayor already has most of the council in her pocket, but Flynn has been a thorn in her side for most of the last year.

Mayor Michelle Wu due date and reelection announcement are just around the corner. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Josh Kraft. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)