Buffalo's India Walton won the Democratic primary for mayor. Now she has to defeat incumbent Byron Brown -- again

On paper, India Walton is a shoo-in to become Buffalo's next mayor. The Democratic nominee, who defeated incumbent Mayor Byron Brown in a June primary, is the only name on the general election ballot for the city's top job.

But in reality, Walton, a 39-year-old Democratic Socialist and first-time candidate, is locked in a tough race with Brown, who after losing the nomination and failing in the courts to create a new party line ahead of the November 2 vote, launched a write-in campaign.

The showdown between Walton and Brown, who is seeking a fifth term, escalated over the summer and into the fall as a proxy fight between the city and state's growing progressive movement and more business-friendly, establishment Democrats determined to block Walton's ascent -- and prevent her from becoming the first socialist mayor of a major American city in more than 60 years. As early voting begins 10 days out from the election, both candidates are running fiery campaigns that have drawn attention from well outside Buffalo, as the Democratic Party's ideological split comes under the spotlight in New York's second largest city.