Often dismissed by New York City’s business community, Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa is proving to be a serious contender in the race for city hall. Despite his trademark red Guardian Angels beret and passionate, outer-borough speaking style, recent polling indicates he has a viable path to victory.
A Harris poll places Sliwa at 22% in a four-way race, within striking distance of frontrunners Zohran Mamdani, the winner of the Democratic primary, and former Governor Andrew Cuomo. The same poll shows him handily beating incumbent Mayor Eric Adams.
“In a four-way race, I have a path to victory because people actually like me and they have problems with the others,” Sliwa stated in an interview.
While Sliwa lags significantly in fundraising, having raised just $169,000 compared to Adams’s $1.5 million in the latest reporting period, his grassroots campaign style of engaging voters directly on subways and across the five boroughs appears to be effective.
He argues that the city’s power brokers and business leaders are mistaken to ignore his campaign. Sliwa notes that the Partnership for New York City, a major business group, has met with every other candidate, including Mamdani, but has not engaged with him. He insists he is the only true pro-business candidate in the race.
Sliwa’s platform includes restoring Midtown as a business hub through enhanced crime prevention, eliminating congestion pricing, cutting taxes, and streamlining government, particularly what he calls a bloated Department of Education.
“Big business is hedging its bets and moving to Florida, Texas, even Tennessee,” Sliwa said. “You have to convince them to keep what they have by getting rid of the homeless and making sure women are safe from pervs in the subway when going to work.” He added that it “behooves” the city’s financial leaders “to treat me with a modicum of respect. I am here to support small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as the Fortune 500 guys and gals who pay the bulk of our taxes.”
To address rising crime, Sliwa plans to retain Adams’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, whom he called “a saint in a cauldron of corruption,” referencing the scandals that have impacted the current administration.
Sliwa positions himself as the only candidate who can prevent a socialist takeover of the city. He contends that Mamdani’s primary victory was a direct result of public dissatisfaction with Adams. “Zohran would never exist if Adams had been a halfway decent mayor, and I’m the only person standing in the way,” he said.
He views Cuomo as equally unappealing to voters, pointing to low approval ratings. “Cuomo’s approvals are as bad as Adams’. People don’t like them. But they like me,” Sliwa claimed. He warned that while Mamdani may seem likable, his policies would “turn the Big Apple into a sea of socialism and destroy the city.”
Dismissing rumors that he might drop out of the race for a potential role in a Trump administration, Sliwa affirmed his commitment. “No one is going to bribe me from leaving the race,” he declared. To underscore his seriousness, he pledged to stop wearing his iconic red beret if he wins the election. “When elected mayor, I will retire it.”
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