Voting has already begun in New York Citys Democratic mayoral primary.

Given the citys heavy Democratic tilt, the winner of the primary, which concludes on Tuesday, is all but assured of the top job.

New York City, home to nearly 8.4 million people , is an American anomaly in many ways denser, more multicultural and less car-dependent than the country at large.

But this year after eight years of Mayor Bill de Blasio , the Big Apples first Democratic leader in two decades, and a self-styled progressive loathed by the activist left and right in equal measure the city could chart a course for the future of the Democratic Party .