(NewsNation) — Voters in Buffalo, New York, cast their ballots Tuesday to determine who will become the next mayor of their city.
The race is between three candidates: Democratic nominee state Sen. Sean Ryan, Republican former Erie County Assistant District Attorney James Gardner and independent candidate Michael Gainer, the founder of Buffalo ReUse Action, a community-based not-for-profit organization.
Republicans in Buffalo face an uphill battle as the reliably blue city hasn’t elected a GOP mayor since 1965.
Sign up for NewsNation’s Newsletter
State Sen. Ryan has heavily outspent his opponents, according to reporting by The Associated Press, and received strong support from Democrats in the state, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
This will be the first time the city has elected a new mayor since Byron Brown back in 2021. Current mayor Christopher Scanlon was appointed to succeed Brown following his resignation in 2024 but was defeated by Ryan in the Democratic mayoral primary election earlier this year.
Polls in New York close at 9 p.m. ET. Follow the results of the Buffalo mayoral election in the tracker below:
