Today marks the day a ton of people nationwide are going to the polls ... but this time, it's to elect their mayor.
And as is often the case with elections, some of the races have been heating up in a big way. But which ones have been making the most noise?
The Boston elections have been picking up steam lately, as the race between Michael Flaherty and Thomas Menino has seen the gap between the two starting to close in. Menino, who is running for his fifth term as Boston's mayor, is ahead in the polls over Flaherty, but his ratings dropped in mid-October from 61% to 52%. Flaherty picked up a 9% jump. And while it's not incredibly close, both candidates are feeling the pressure, as both spent their weekend out campaigning to try and sway the vote their way.
In Atlanta, the race is between Atlanta Councilwoman Mary Norwood, City Council President Lisa Borders and Georgia State Sen. Kasim Reed. The current focus of the mayoral battle appears to be the news that Atlanta may be electing its first white mayor in over 35 years, but even with Norwood's lead in the polls thus far, the gap is starting to close here, too. But not everyone is on board with this potential development, as many are questioning whether Norwood has what it takes to address the needs of the area's population.
The Charlotte, N.C. mayoral race waited until Friday to get heated, when Republican John Lassiter called a news conference to rebut claims that he was linked to wealthy developers to the expense of city homeowners. The notification went out via mail to thousands of voters, and while Lassiter doesn't claim his opponent - Anthony Foxx - is behind the mailing, it's clear he's believing in foul play. Foxx, meanwhile, says he has no knowledge of the mailing. Apparently, it's never too late for mudslinging.
And don't forget about the controversy in New York City where Michael Bloomberg lobbied the city council to overturn term limits after New Yorkers voted for term limits twice and Mayor Bloomberg himself has stated in the past that anyone trying to overturn term limits is disgraceful - as pointed out by Jon Stewart. His controversial third bid for mayor is being challenged by the Obama-supported Bill Thomspon. Oh yeah, and Bloomberg has spent $65+ million on his campaign.
And now that the vote can officially commence, there's no telling what's going to happen until all the dust has cleared. Make sure you get out there and vote, too!
