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Curtis Sliwa says he isn’t going anywhere. Despite growing calls from within his own party to step aside in the final days of New York City’s mayoral race, with early voting already underway, the Republican nominee told Newsweek‘s new video podcast, The 1600, that he remains committed to seeing his campaign through. “I’m the only one standing between Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo,” Sliwa said. “If you ever figure that out by now, you’ll never figure it out.” Sliwa, who previously lost to Eric Adams 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. Watch Here: The 1600 Podcast Full Episode While declining to echo Cuomo’s message that Mamdani poses an “existential threat” to the city, Sliwa didn’t mince words. “He’s a threat,” Sliwa said. “He’s promoting socialism…every time you embrace a supporter of terrorism or a terrorist himself, you’re the arsonist.” The 69-year-old Guardian Angels founder said his own children, who were raised Jewish, are “afraid” of Mamdani. Still, he refused to yield his spot on the ballot to boost Cuomo’s chances, even as polling suggests Mamdani has consolidated a wide lead over both men. ‘The Most Important Man In New York’ 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’s most consequential figure. City Journal recently dubbed Sliwa the “most important man in New York,” 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’s final days. “Every time you suggest that you’re afraid, that you’re in fear, you empower Zorahn Mandami and the Zorahnistas,” Sliwa said. “You have to be able to stand your ground.” Many New York Republicans, including Councilwoman Inna Vernikov and former City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli, have warned that Sliwa’s 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’s super PAC, hoping to boost his support in the race’s final days. Sliwa dismissed both Bloomberg and his GOP critics as out-of-touch elites. “Bloomberg, please—what’s the last time he was with normal people?” Sliwa told Newsweek. “They just don’t know what’s 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.” Pressed by Newsweek’s Carlo Versano on whether he feared handing the election to Mamdani, Sliwa doubled down. “If you want to blame me if Zohran Mamdani somehow wins, blame me all you want,” he said. “I’ll be here fighting the Zorahnistas while Andrew Cuomo and his billionaire friends flee to Florida.” ‘You Can’t Buy Me,’ Sliwa Tells Donors 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 “zombie politician” waiting to be rescued. “He has no field operation, he doesn’t go out into the streets, he doesn’t press the flesh,” Sliwa said. “I don’t see any presence of Cuomo or his supporters.” Sliwa’s approach contrasts with Mamdani’s generational coalition, which has driven record early turnout. Mamdani’s 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. But to Sliwa, that agenda is a fantasy—as is any talk of him dropping out. (L-R) Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa participate in the second New York City mayoral debate at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on October 22, 2025. (Photo by Hiroko MASUIKE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by HIROKO MASUIKE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) “You gotta go out, get to Millennials. You gotta get to Gen Zers,” he said, arguing that Mamdani’s ...
