Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa is committed to staying in the New York City mayoral race, despite urging from various Republicans and moderate Democrats to step aside. The founder of the Guardian Angels made his stance clear, saying, “I’ve been offered money to drop out, but I said no. I have fourteen days left, and I’m dedicating every possible hour to this campaign.”
“I’m not dropping out,” he emphasized. “One person, one vote. That’s how elections work. I never heard that people needed to drop out for others to succeed.”
Sliwa is facing off against former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is now running as an Independent, and Democrat Zohran Mamdani, a self-described radical socialist promoting policies like rent freezes and taxpayer-funded services.
A recent poll showed Mamdani leading with 43.2%, followed by Cuomo at 28.9%, and Sliwa trailing at 19.4%. Interestingly, the same poll indicated that if Sliwa withdrew, Mamdani’s lead would barely remain, with shares dropping to 44.6% against Cuomo’s 40.7%.
Cuomo has called on conservatives and moderates to back him instead of Sliwa, jesting, “I don’t have horns.” He warned that if Republicans don’t unite behind him, Mamdani could win easily.
“Sliwa isn’t a viable option. A vote for Curtis is effectively a vote for Mamdani. That’s obvious,” Cuomo stated.
When asked if he would consider offering Sliwa a job in his administration if he drops out, Cuomo suggested he would be open to the idea, though he hadn’t thought deeply about it yet.
“I haven’t even considered it, but yes, it is something I might be interested in,” he noted.
