,newsnation) – Republican mayoral candidate curtis sliwa He said he would not drop out of the race for mayor of New York City despite falling in the polls and facing pressure to withdraw, stressing that voters should decide the election rather than “billionaires, influencers and insiders”.
“I don’t know how many times I have to say it. I’m the only Republican candidate. I’m the law and order candidate,” Sliwa said during an interview.Pahari on NewsNation” From Staten Island. “Why would I want to quit?”
Sliwa’s voting average According to Decision Desk headquarters, it currently stands at 17%, almost half of the 28% he had when he lost the mayoral race four years ago.
As for the progressive Democrats, the race has seen extraordinary early voting, with nearly five times as many ballots cast as in 2021. Zohran Mamdani And former governor. Andrew Cuomo The fight for city hall.
President Donald Trump recently suggested that Sliwa is “not going to win” and questioned whether his continued candidacy helps Cuomo against Mamdani, whom Trump has labeled a “communist”. Trump said he would like the city to be led by a “Democrat rather than a Communist.”
But Sliwa rejected calls to drop out, arguing that if anyone should back out, it’s Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary in June by 13 percentage points after leading by 40 points in March. Sliwa said Cuomo has been away from the campaign for 10 days since Labor Day.
“You don’t win elections just by hanging out in suites with your billionaire friends,” Sliwa said.
The Republican nominee criticized both of his Democratic opponents on the crime, calling Cuomo the “architect” of no-cash bail policies and Mamdani as Cuomo’s “apprentice.” He presented himself as offering an “alternative choice” to voters.
Mamdani held a rally in Queens The weekend mobilized progressive supporters, along with Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
House Republicans have cornered Democratic leader Hakim Jeffries’ support of MamdaniClaiming that this shows that democratic socialism is now the face of the party. Elon Musk wrote on X that Mamdani “is the future of the Democratic Party.”
Sliwa also broke with Trump over how to handle potential federal funding cuts to New York City and advocated dialogue over confrontation. Trump has threatened to cut $7 billion in funding if Mamdani wins.
“You sit down with the president, or whoever he delegates, and try to negotiate,” Sliwa said. “Don’t hurt the city because you don’t like the mayor.”
Cuomo described the overwhelming turnout as reflecting “fear,” “anger” and “frustration” in the city and said New Yorkers “want a mayor who can get things done.”
Early voting will continue through the weekend, with Election Day scheduled for Nov. 4.
