Bill de Blasio’s rollicking victory in New York’s mayoral race Tuesday will be welcome relief for Democrats supporting an increasingly embattled and unpopular President Barack Obama.

The 52-year-old took more than 70 percent of the vote to become the city’s first Democratic mayor in 20 years, having promised to tackle wealth inequality and what he called a “tale of two cities.”

In his victory speech, de Blasio himself acknowledged the task ahead would not be easy.

“The challenges we face have been decades in the making, and the problems we set out to address will not be solved overnight. But make no mistake: The people of this city have chosen a progressive path. And tonight we set forth on it ― together, as one city,” he said at a YMCA gymnasium in his neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Yet, even that may be underestimating the scale of the challenge. Ideological differences aside, reducing the U.S.’ wealth gap has proven an elusive goal for the country’s liberal elite. Despite numerous condemnations of wealth inequality, even President Obama, ostensibly the face of liberal America, has been unable to narrow the gap between rich and poor. His record on the issue caused one writer for the generally liberal Huffington Post to declare last year that wealth inequality was worse under Obama than under former President George W. Bush.

De Blasio will hope to succeed where others have failed by, among other things, raising taxes. For this, he will need the signature of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has already ruled out such a move. De Blasio will also have to contend with a Republican majority in the state senate. All of these signal a battle head for the city’s future. It will likely be tough. It may also hold clues as to the future direction of American liberalism.

By John Power (john.power@heraldcorp.com)