Curtis Sliwa’s Campaign Spending on Rides Raises Eyebrows

During his mayoral campaign, Curtis Sliwa, the infamous subway vigilante, spent close to $35,000 on Ubers and taxis. On Thursday, he defended this hefty expenditure, stating that it was necessary due to threats to his life.

The Republican candidate, known for his patrols with the Guardian Angels, alone spent about $30,000 on ride-sharing services from February up until last month, based on campaign finance reports assessed by sources. Additionally, he charged his campaign approximately $4,700 for nearly 200 taxi trips during the same period, according to records filed with the Campaign Finance Commission.

To put things in perspective, this total spending was roughly 135% greater than that of establishment Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani, as shown in the filings.

Sliwa expressed concerns for his safety after being pursued for information about his campaign expenses and reportedly being solicited for bribes to withdraw from the race. “I can justify the expense because my life is in danger,” he said at a press conference not directly related to the spending issue, where he also touted his frequent subway rides.

He mentioned, “As a result of not accepting a bribe to drop out of the race, for the first time in my life I had to stand under armed guard.” And then he emphasized, “I ride the subway every day.” But, he added—perhaps a bit contradictorily—that “other places don’t have subways.”

Sliwa’s campaign reported spending nearly $1,900 on subway fares since late February, equating to roughly 650 swipes. However, this significant taxi and Uber bill appears surprising, especially considering Sliwa’s recent claim during another debate that he avoided yellow cabs completely following a shooting incident in the early 90s.

He highlighted this painful memory, stating, “I try to avoid yellow cabs. In 1992, I was shot by Gottis and Gambino in the back of a yellow cab, but I survived. If I have to, I’ll take Uber.” In stark contrast, Andrew Cuomo’s campaign has not reported any similar spending on transport.

Mamdani has spent around $4,500 on Uber and Lyft, alongside $2,300 on taxis, based on campaign disclosures.

In recent weeks, Sliwa has voiced frustrations over needing 24-hour security, attributing this need to what he refers to as anti-Mamdani pressures, including business figures and certain prominent individuals urging him to step aside. “They are lone wolf lunatics, but they are spurred on by the constant rhetoric that I have to quit,” he asserted earlier this month.

Interestingly, a large portion of Sliwa’s spending—roughly $25,000 for Uber—occurred before the unofficial launch of the general election campaign around Labor Day.

Despite escalating pressure for Sliwa to withdraw his candidacy, he has consistently refused. Meanwhile, the NYPD has no record of any credible threats against him, a stark contrast to Mamdani, whose threats were documented and reported to the police during the Democratic primary.