Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa said he is not leaving the race — even as some GOP pressure to drop his bid mounts.
“The billionaires will not pick the next mayor. The people will,” he said.
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Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa said he is not leaving the race — even as some GOP pressure to drop his bid mounts
Some critics fear that Sliwa’s continued presence could split the opposition vote between himself and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, giving Democrat Zohran Mamdani an easy path to victory
Mamdani agreed with his competitor that the ballot box should make the final ruling
Influential donor and billionaire John Catsimatidis called on Sliwa to find the exit door.
“We cannot take a chance on Zohran winning,” Catsimatidis said during an interview on “Sid & Friends in the Morning” Monday.
Sliwa had these comments for his former WABC radio boss: “The billionaires can conspire to pick their candidate. They failed with Cuomo the first time, they ran over to Eric Adams and now they’re running back to Andrew Cuomo. I trust the people. They’ll make their decision. I’m not dropping out.”
Just hours later, the conservative New York Post editorial board also made the same plea.
Some critics fear that Sliwa’s continued presence could split the opposition vote between himself and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, giving Democrat Zohran Mamdani an easy path to victory.
But Sliwa is pressing on.
“I have support. I have 11 headquarters. I have volunteers everywhere, signs galore,” he said. “Plus, I have a get out the vote effort, which is what you need to win elections.”
“My advice to him is to continue to make his own case,” Mamdani said.
The Democrat agreed with his competitor that the ballot box should make the final ruling.
Mamdani on Monday looked to battle something other than his rivals in the race — sidewalk sheds.
“Something we should relegate to the past instead of breaking with us to the future. Believe it or not, I’m not speaking about Andrew Cuomo. I am talking about scaffolding that covers thousands of blocks across this city,” he said.
On Monday, Mamdani presented his four-point plan to achieve clear skies, which includes removing years-old shields from city property, increasing the inspection time for newer buildings and improving the design and safety of the sheds.
Plenty of officials have tried to tackle the issue with little result. Mayor Eric Adams in April signed a package of legislation aimed at addressing the issue.
Mamdani says he would be different.
“This is about action, and if you measure the mayor’s record in terms of action, you find that he took down less than 1% of all scaffolding in New York City,” he said.
On Sunday, during an interview with Fox News. President Donald Trump said he’s still mulling an endorsement, saying he “doesn’t know if he’ll get involved.”