Election Update: Sliwa Stays in the Race

The Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, known for founding the Guardian Angels, has announced that he will not be withdrawing from the New York City mayoral race. This decision comes despite requests from several Republicans and moderate Democrats urging him to step aside.

Sliwa expressed his determination, stating, “I’ve already been offered money to drop out. I said no. Fourteen days left, and I am going to put every hour of the day into it that is humanly possible.”

“I’m not dropping out,” he reiterated. “One person, one vote. That’s how we determine elections. I never heard a caveat that said one person, one vote, and of course others need to drop out along the way.”

He is currently in competition with Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York now running as an Independent, and Democrat Zohran Mamdani, who is focused on progressive policies like rent freezes and publicly funded transportation and childcare.

A recent poll from AARP and Gotham Polling reveals that Mamdani leads with 43.2%. Cuomo follows with 28.9%, while Sliwa stands at 19.4%. Interestingly, should Sliwa choose to exit the race, Mamdani’s lead would significantly diminish to 44.6%, compared to Cuomo’s 40.7%.

On Tuesday, Cuomo appealed to conservatives and moderates in New York to back him instead of Sliwa, humorously saying, “I don’t have horns.” He warned that if Republicans fail to support him, Mamdani would likely win.

“He’s (Sliwa) not viable. A vote for Curtis is a vote for Mamdani. Everyone knows that,” Cuomo remarked.

When asked about the possibility of offering Sliwa a job in his administration, should he withdraw, Cuomo said he was open to the idea. “I haven’t even thought about it to tell you the truth, but, yes, that would be something that I am interested in,” he stated.

As the election approaches, the dynamics among candidates continue to shift, leaving voters eager to see how this will unfold.