Voters in New York City are voting on Tuesday to choose a new mayor.
The Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio is the overwhelming favourite.
The city’s public advocate is widely seen as one of the most liberal mayoral candidates.
His Republican challenger is Joe Lhota, a former senior official in the mayoral offices of Michael Bloomberg and his predecessor Rudolph Giuliani.
Lhota is credited with turning around the fortunes of the city’s public transportation system after huge floods last year, but he is well behind in the polls.
As it is part of the first major round of elections since Barack Obama won a second presidential term a year ago, many see the contest as an early test of the Republican and Democratic Parties’ popularity ahead of next year’s crucial congressional elections.
Voters in New Jersey and Virginia will also elect governors on Tuesday.
The winner will succeed three-term Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican who turned independent in 2007.
