Voting is underway for the next mayor of Tees Valley as Ben Houchen is backed to serve a third term.
Ben Houchen will find out if he will serve a third term as Tees Valley Mayor on Friday as voting has got underway today.
Houchen is fighting a challenge from Labour's Chris McEwan as he attempts to retain one of the only two mayoralities that are currently held by Conservatives. The other being the West Midlands.
To read about the current odds in the West Midland's mayoral election, click here.
According to recent YouGov data, Ben Houchen is narrowly preferred by voters with 51% of voters saying they intend to side with the Tory candidate compared to 44% who say they will vote for McEwan.
However, the outcome is anticipated to be closely contested, given the recent decline in popularity of the Tory brand.
Ben Houchen is current a best price of 2/7 (78% implied chance) at Betfred to win the Tees Valley mayoral election.
His opponent, Chris McEwan is a best price of 7/2 (22% implied chance) at William Hill and Coral.
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Tees Valley Mayoral Election Odds
| Candidate | Odds | Implied Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Houchen (Conservatives) | 2/7 | 78% |
| Chris McEwan (Labour) | 7/2 | 22% |
| Simon Thorley (Liberal Democrats) | 100/1 | 1% |
Ben Houchen is currently a hot favourite to win which will come as a relief to Rishi Sunak as he hopes to avoid a narrative that his defeat in the general election is inevitable and rather build optimism that the Conservative party can stage a comeback.
