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 redevelopment of Franklin Park's White Stadium into a home for professional soccer has emerged as the first major battleground in this year's mayoral race between Michelle Wu and Josh Kraft. Why it matters: The stadium controversy conveys some of the broad themes at the core of the Wu vs.

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 mayoral candidate Josh Kraft says public records show the city’s bid process for the White Stadium pro soccer rehab project was “rigged” and is calling for an investigation into whether Mayor Michelle Wu violated procurement laws.

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

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu leads billionaire philanthropist Josh Kraft in the first poll of the city’s young mayoral campaign, but a decent share of voters remain up for grabs. Forty-three percent of respondents to the new Emerson College poll say they support the Democratic incumbent,

Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft is calling on Mayor Michelle Wu to “immediately halt” the razing of White Stadium that began last Friday, until the courts can rule on the city’s public-private plan to rehab it for a new pro women’s soccer team.

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.

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.