New York to usher in left-wing progressive Bill de Blasio as mayor
Bill de Blasio has put his multiracial family at the forefront of his campaign and vows to fix the widening gap between rich and poor
Left-wing progressive Bill de Blasio is poised to secure a landslide victory in New York's mayoral elections tomorrow after executing a near-flawless campaign.
De Blasio, whose public sector background and policies sit uneasily with the gigantic wealth of the establishment, appears certain of election victory, possibly by a historic margin.
By placing his black, former lesbian wife and teenage children centre stage, he appears to have connected to ordinary middle-class families and a vastly diverse electorate, if his mammoth poll leads are anything to go by.
New Yorkers voted for outgoing mayor Michael Bloomberg three times in a row, but now look set to elect a candidate who could not be more different in background or style than the billionaire incumbent.
Analysts say de Blasio offers voters a package they relate to, leaving his Republican rival Joe Lhota trailing a distant second.
He has campaigned hard against the yawning gulf between rich and poor - "a tale of two cities" or "the 99 per cent" against the 1 per cent - and stands up for minority rights.
