Boston Mayor Michelle Wu responded Monday to criticism she received after offering her condolences to the family of a person police say was wielding a knife when he was shot and killed by an off-duty officer inside Chick-fil-A Saturday night on Boylston Street.

Wu has won their backing after successful contract negotiations. The endorsement comes as the mayor prepares to testify in Washington over what Republican legislators call the city's "sanctuary" policies.

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 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.