The outcome of last week’s mayoral race in Syracuse is being hailed by independents as a possible precursor to more candidates carving paths outside of the traditional political parties.

Ben Walsh, a 38-year-old independent who has never held public office, handily defeated his Republican and Democratic rivals, a victory that has earned comparisons to figures such as Emmanuel Macron, a political neophyte who won the French presidency earlier this year by creating his own party.

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