Copyright Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa faced calls from his boss to drop from the race Monday. Sliwa, a radio show host on WABC-AM, was called upon by John Catsimatidis — the owner of the station and radio show host in his own right — to pull himself from the race to give independent candidate Andrew Cuomo a better chance at Gracie Mansion. “Look, I love Curtis; we’ve worked together a lot,” said Catsimatidis. “Curtis has to realize that he should love New York more than anything else, and it certainly looks like Curtis should pull out right now.” “He could win the next election because people will be proud of him for doing the right thing for New York City, instead of the wrong thing. We cannot take a chance on Zohran [Mamdani] winning and every common-sense New Yorker feels the same way,” Catsimatidis continued to say. This is not the first call for Sliwa to bow out from a prominent Republican, either. President Donald Trump has also been critical of Sliwa for his work rescuing cats from New York City streets and kill shelters The Republican goal is to prevent Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani from becoming mayor. So instead, Republicans like Catsimatidis are throwing their backing behind Cuomo, as polling increasingly suggests that should Sliwa drop out, Cuomo can pick up the votes needed to beat Mamdani In a poll conducted by Patriot Polling, Mamdani holds the lead at 43%; Cuomo is 11 points away at 32%; with Sliwa trailing behind both candidates at 19%. The poll took place between Oct. 18 and Oct. 19, according to Patriot Polling. On the other hand, a poll taken by AARP between Oct. 14 and Oct. 15 shows Mamdani at 43.2%; Cuomo at 28.9%; Sliwa at 19.4%; with 7.7% claiming that they are undecided about who to vote for come November. “The new AARP-Gotham poll shows exactly where this race is headed: in a head-to-head matchup, Andrew Cuomo (41%) and Zohran Mamdani (45%) are now in a dead heat — a dramatic 10-point swing since late August, when Mamdani led Cuomo 42-31 head to head," said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi. “As New Yorkers see this reality, they’ll discard the spoiler Curtis Sliwa and rally behind Cuomo to save the city. Voters don’t buy Mamdani’s divisive, extreme politics or believe that a 34-year-old who’s never held a real job is ready to run the greatest city in the world. Andrew Cuomo has the experience, coalition, and plan to make New York safer, fairer, and more affordable for everyone on day one,” he added. But it doesn’t appear as if Sliwa will drop out. “Curtis Sliwa stands firm and is not dropping out. Today’s news does not change anything. Others may have their opinions, but the voters will decide in 15 days. Andrew Cuomo has been absent from public view for 10 days; if he seeks support, he must actively earn it,” said Daniel Kurzyna, a spokesperson for the Sliwa campaign.
