Hillary set for victory

Hillary Clinton was heading for a historic victory in her battle to capture one of New York's two Senate seats early today. Exit polls put her eight points clear of her opponent, the Republican congressman Rick Lazio.

If she succeeds, the 53-year-old first lady will be the first wife of a sitting president to win elected office.

Mr Lazio was seen as the underdog in the race, but Mrs Clinton had to fight off a series of highly personalised attacks.

The race was one of the costliest Senate campaigns in history, with the candidates spending $78m (£54m) by the middle of last month.