Michelle Wu holds a double-digit lead over philanthropist Josh Kraft in the race for Boston mayor, a new poll from Emerson College finds. The preliminary election to narrow the field down to two candidates is in September. The poll asked more than 600 registered voters who they would vote for if the election were held today.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is kicking off her campaign for re-election with a strong lead over her opponent Josh Kraft, according to an Emerson College poll released Thursday.

The survey offers the first early look at the matchup between the first-term progressive mayor and her most prominent challenger.

BOSTON BY THE NUMBERS — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has an early lead over Josh Kraft. But Kraft has room to make some inroads. A new poll from Emerson College out this morning gives us our first glimpse at how Boston voters view the two candidates and the issues they’re campaigning on. Let’s break it down.

Boston’s largest police officers' union will endorse incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection on Thursday afternoon, its leadership said. The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association said its members voted “overwhelmingly” to support Wu at the union’s most recent monthly meeting.

The endorsement is the first time in more than 30 years that the city's largest police union has supported a Boston mayor for reelection, the union said.

Mayor Michelle Wu has secured a vital endorsement from the city’s largest police union. Related Articles Politics | Josh Kraft shifts heat to Mayor Michelle Wu for Boston’s icy sidewalks after city issues 1,

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will find herself testifying before a Congressional committee Wednesday with a hostile Republican majority intent on grilling her and three other Democratic mayors on their limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The city’s largest police union, the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, plans to formally endorse Mayor Michelle Wu later this week in her re-election bid, according to two sources close to the matter.