THE US state governor forced to resign after having an adulterous gay love affair with a former adviser was being threatened with blackmail, it emerged yesterday.

A US state governor was forced to resign after having an adulterous gay love affair with a former adviser who threatened to blackmail him, it emerged today.

New York City has voted in a cliffhanger election to choose a successor to popular mayor Rudolph Giuliani - one of dozens of races across the country, including two for state governor.