\u201cI\u2019m the only one standing between Zohran Mamdani<\/a> and Andrew Cuomo<\/a>,\u201d Sliwa said. \u201cIf you ever figure that out by now, you\u2019ll never figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Sliwa, who previously lost to Eric Adams<\/a> in the 2021 mayoral contest by 40 points and is currently polling in a distant third, argued New Yorkers deserve more than a binary choice between the Democratic Socialist frontrunner and the disgraced former governor. He cast Mamdani as a dangerous experiment and Cuomo as an entitled insider with a failing message.<\/p>\n Watch Here: The 1600 Podcast Full Episode<\/p>\n While declining to echo Cuomo\u2019s message that Mamdani poses an \u201cexistential threat\u201d to the city, Sliwa didn\u2019t mince words. \u201cHe\u2019s a threat,\u201d Sliwa said. \u201cHe\u2019s promoting socialism\u2026every time you embrace a supporter of terrorism or a terrorist himself, you\u2019re the arsonist.\u201d<\/p>\n The 69-year-old Guardian Angels founder said his own children, who were raised Jewish, are \u201cafraid\u201d of Mamdani. Still, he refused to yield his spot on the ballot to boost Cuomo\u2019s chances, even as polling suggests Mamdani has consolidated a wide lead over both men<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018The Most Important Man In New York\u2019<\/p>\n Still, that polling suggests one remaining path for Cuomo, should Sliwa drop out and endorse his opponent, whom Sliwa has called a “creep” and worse. A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Mamdani leading Cuomo 43 percent to 33 percent, with Sliwa receiving 14 percent of the vote. Because Sliwa’s support in that and other polls covers the spread between Cuomo and Mamdani, he has emerged as the race\u2019s most consequential figure. City Journal recently dubbed<\/a> Sliwa the \u201cmost important man in New York,\u201d not for his chances of winning, but because his continued presence on the ballot could determine who does. His vote share is now large enough to deny either rival an outright path to victory, making his continued refusal to step aside perhaps the defining variable of the campaign\u2019s final days.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time you suggest that you\u2019re afraid, that you\u2019re in fear, you empower Zorahn Mandami and the Zorahnistas,\u201d Sliwa said. \u201cYou have to be able to stand your ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Many New York Republicans, including Councilwoman Inna Vernikov and former City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli, have warned that Sliwa\u2019s continued presence in the race could split the anti-Mamdani vote and hand City Hall to the 34-year-old leftist Assemblyman. Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has reportedly added $1.5 million to Cuomo\u2019s super PAC, hoping to boost his support in the race\u2019s final days.<\/p>\n Sliwa dismissed both Bloomberg and his GOP critics as out-of-touch elites.<\/p>\n \u201cBloomberg, please\u2014what\u2019s the last time he was with normal people?\u201d Sliwa told Newsweek. \u201cThey just don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. This is a generational change. They know Wall Street, they know hedge funds, but they know nothing about the streets of New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n Pressed by Newsweek’s Carlo Versano on whether he feared handing the election to Mamdani, Sliwa doubled down. \u201cIf you want to blame me if Zohran Mamdani somehow wins, blame me all you want,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll be here fighting the Zorahnistas while Andrew Cuomo and his billionaire friends flee to Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘You Can\u2019t Buy Me,’ Sliwa Tells Donors<\/p>\n Instead of viewing Mamdani’s win as inevitable, Sliwa cast himself as in it to win it and the only candidate actively engaging voters in every borough, describing Cuomo as a \u201czombie politician\u201d waiting to be rescued. \u201cHe has no field operation, he doesn\u2019t go out into the streets, he doesn\u2019t press the flesh,\u201d Sliwa said. \u201cI don\u2019t see any presence of Cuomo or his supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n Sliwa\u2019s approach contrasts with Mamdani\u2019s generational coalition, which has driven record early turnout<\/a>. Mamdani\u2019s platform calls for creating a $1 billion Department of Community Safety to shift some NYPD responsibilities to mental health responders, implementing a rent freeze on stabilized units, making public buses free and raising taxes on corporations and millionaires to fund universal child care.<\/p>\n But to Sliwa, that agenda is a fantasy\u2014as is any talk of him dropping out.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gotta go out, get to Millennials. You gotta get to Gen Zers,\u201d he said, arguing that Mamdani\u2019s rise reflects a generational breakdown in values. \u201cI\u2019m the only one who can go into neighborhoods where the only Republican they\u2019ve ever seen is Abraham Lincoln on a $5 bill and be accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n He claimed that a $10 million offer had been made to persuade him to leave the race. \u201cA guy actually told me on the other end of the line, \u2018You know, Curtis, everybody has the price, what\u2019s your price?\u2019 as if it was The Price is Right,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t buy me. You can\u2019t lease me. I\u2019m not for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if he would regret not taking the $10 million come Wednesday morning, Sliwa said no. “I came into this world with nothin’, I’ll leave this world with nothin’.”<\/p>\n Watch the full conversation between Curtis Sliwa and Newsweek’s Carlo Versano in the video player above or\u00a0on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2242320598.jpg\"\/)
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