Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is backing attorney Allison Cartwright in the race for clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court in Suffolk County over a sitting city councilor, Erin Murphy, who is frequently on opposite sides of policy decisions with the mayor.

Wu, in her Monday endorsement, touted Cartwright’s “decades of legal experience,” which Murphy, a former Boston schoolteacher in her second term on the Boston City Council, lacks.

The mayor joins a growing list of elected officials endorsing in the race, in what is shaping up to be a battle of the more progressive contingent for Cartwright and the more moderate sector for Murphy.

“In a moment where our independent judiciary is more important than ever, I’m excited to endorse a supremely qualified, honest and hardworking candidate for clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court,” Wu said in a statement. “Attorney Allison Cartwright has decades of legal experience as a lawyer and leader within the court system.

“There is no more qualified candidate to undertake this very important responsibility of upholding the law fairly and impartially for all community members,” said Wu, who holds a law degree.

The mayor declined to state, when asked later by reporters, whether she viewed the race as a “proxy battle” between “conservatives” and “progressives” in the city, but she did comment on Democratic institutions “being severely challenged, if not under attack,” and the need for Massachusetts to lead the way “on that front.”

Murphy and Cartwright, while having different leanings, are both Democrats.

Cartwright has also been endorsed by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, state Sen. Lydia Edwards, state Senators William Brownsberger and Liz Miranda, state Senate Judiciary Chair Jamie Eldridge and City Councilor Liz Breadon.

Murphy has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Thompkins and City Councilor Ed Flynn. She has also garnered support from local labor unions.

In a statement, Cartwright said she was “profoundly grateful to have Mayor Michelle Wu’s support for my campaign to serve as clerk” of the SJC.

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“Her endorsement not only honors my 30-plus years of legal experience and commitment to justice but also signifies a shared vision for a fair and efficient judicial system,” Cartwright said. “Mayor Wu and I have both worked to bring down barriers that prevent working people from accessing our institutions and ensuring that they serve residents equitably. It is an honor to have her support.”

Murphy, on the other hand, said she wasn’t concerned with having the City Hall “political machine” aligned against her bid for SJC clerk.

The residents she’s been speaking to in Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop aren’t concerned with “insider politics,” Murphy said. They’re dissatisfied with how the government is working and how taxpayer dollars are being spent, and they “want to know they’re getting a fair deal — not an inside one,” she said.

“I respect my opponent, Mayor Wu, and the mayor’s right to use the City Hall political machine however she chooses,” Murphy said in a statement. “But this race isn’t about big-name endorsements or being told how you should vote. This race is about the working families of Suffolk County who deserve fair and equal treatment under the law, and who would best represent them.”

Longtime SJC Clerk Maura Doyle, who opted not to run for reelection, was paid $189,324 in 2023, records show. The primary is Sept. 3.