Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa has reaffirmed his commitment to running for New York City mayor, despite intense pressure from prominent donors to withdraw from the race and allow incumbent Eric Adams to take his place.
With the New York City mayoral race heating up, Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, has been at the center of a growing controversy. The former New York City mayor, who is running as a Republican nominee, has consistently rejected any suggestions that he might drop out of the race. He claims he is the best candidate to lead the city and that any attempt to get him out of the race will be met with a ‘pine box’—a reference to a past attempt by mob bosses to kill him in 1992.
These statements come as the New York Post reports that a group of prominent donors is actively exploring ways to get Sliwa to drop out of the race and allow Adams to step in. A plan that could also involve former Governor Andrew Cuomo as a potential candidate in November, according to the report. The New York Post has also highlighted the potential impact of this race on the city’s future, with Sliwa’s candidacy seen as a long shot at best.
Sliwa, a lifelong New Yorker, has built his career on public safety and community service. He founded the Guardian Angels in 1979 and has been a major voice in the city’s political landscape for decades. His campaign for mayor is centered on public safety and affordable housing, with the slogan ‘improve, don’t move.’ His campaign is also focusing on his no-kill policy for City Hall, which he believes will bring in a wide range of voters, including moderate Democrats, women voters, younger generations, and animal advocates.
Sliwa has also been vocal about his disdain for socialist policies, which he believes are a threat to the city’s stability. He has criticized the influence of Zohran Mamdani, the socialist candidate in the race, as a potential disaster for New York City. He has pointed to Chicago as an example of what can happen when a socialist mayor is elected there, with a citywide rent freeze, free public bus service, and higher property taxes on wealthy neighborhoods—all ideas that critics say have already strained budgets and backfired in Chicago under Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Despite the odds, Sliwa believes his experience and connections with the city’s neighborhoods will give him the edge he needs to win.