New York City Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa says he’s staying in the race despite growing pressure from some key figures who want him to step aside to help block Democratic Socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in November.
“We will never surrender. They’re not just trying to push me out, they’re trying to silence YOU. The people who’ve had enough. The people who feel pushed out, unsafe, and ignored for years,” Sliwa posted to X.
“For years, politicians turned their backs on you, they disparaged us, and now they come begging for your vote. We won’t be fooled,” Sliwa wrote. “I’ve fought alongside you every step of the way to make this city better. As Mayor, I won’t be controlled. I’ll fight for you, always. That’s what threatens them.”
Among the voices urging Sliwa to step aside are billionaire investor Bill Ackman, GOP heavy weight and long time Sliwa supporter John Catsimatidis and, with no surprise, Andrew Cuomo.
Ackman argues that should Sliwa remain in the race it will split the vote creating a path for Mamdani to win. “Drop out or Zohran wins,” he said bluntly.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
Catsimatidis — though previously in the Sliwa camp and having once called him “the best mayor of all candidates” — said “Curtis should pull out now… We cannot take a chance on Zohran winning.”
Currently, according to AARP and Gotham Polling, Mamdani is leading the polls with 43.2 percent of the vote, followed by Cuomo with 28.9 percent and Sliwa with 19.4 percent. People are arguing that should Sliwa drop out, many of his voters would file into the Cuomo camp giving him a chance at beating Mamdani.
The same polls indicate that it would be a neck-and-neck race between Cuomo and Mamdani should Sliwa pull the plug on his campaign.
RELATED:
- Rudy Giuliani Backs Republican Curtis Sliwa for NYC Mayor, Slams Cuomo and Mamdani
- Curtis Sliwa’s Plan to Expand the City’s Gifted and Talented Program and Fix NYC’s Schools
- Mayoral Hopeful Curtis Sliwa Slams Communism, Vows to Cut NYC’s Living Costs and Improve Safety
‘Sliwa’s voters aren’t voting for Cuomo’
However, there is no consensus on this strategy as many argue that the best way to block a Mamdani administration would be if Cuomo dropped out clearing a path for Sliwa.
On Monday, Oct. 20, X user “Rich Baris The People’s Pundit” told his over 357,000 followers, “The anti-Mamdani crowd would be better off asking Cuomo to drop out and endorse Sliwa than the other way around. Just because Cuomo has averaged higher than Sliwa doesn’t mean he has the higher ceiling,” adding, “Sliwa’s voters aren’t voting for Cuomo, folks.”
The next day, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the five Republican Party county leaders in New York City reaffirmed their “unequivocal support” for Sliwa, ahead of the Nov. 4 general election.
“Republican voters are not going to vote for Andrew Cuomo,” the party chairs said in a joint statement. “He lost his own party’s primary, badly, and is not even appearing on the ballot on a major party line. Republicans should not have to clean up the mess Andrew Cuomo and the Democrats created, and we will not allow the political class to interfere with voters or hijack our ballot.”
Kings County Chair Liam McCabe; Queens County Chair Anthony Nunziato; Bronx County Chair Michael Rendino; New York County Chair Andrea Catsimatidis; and Richmond County Chair Assembly Member Michael Tannousis all announced their support for Sliwa in Tuesday’s joint statement.
The Republican Party chairs said that behind Sliwa’s campaign there is an “overwhelming grassroots momentum,” and that “record petitioning,” and citywide support from the ground up are reasons for their unequivocal support.
“Republicans across every borough stand united behind Curtis Sliwa for Mayor of New York City,” Republican leaders said in a statement Tuesday morning. “In every neighborhood, volunteers have collected thousands of petition signatures and Curtis has raised millions from everyday New Yorkers, proof of a genuine grassroots movement that money cannot manufacture.”
