Curtis Sliwa Aims for a New York City Mayoral Upset

Curtis Sliwa, the creator of New York City’s Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol group, lost his mayoral run four years ago to Eric Adams by nearly 40 percentage points.

This time, Sliwa believes his chances are improving.Even in a heavily Democratic city,the 71-year-old hopes a divided Democratic field will allow him to retain his previous support and attract voters with his focus on fighting crime.

Zohran Mamdani,a 33-year-old state lawmaker and democratic socialist,won the Democratic nomination,defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary. Cuomo, who resigned as governor four years ago following sexual harassment allegations, is running as an independent.

Meanwhile, Adams, facing fallout from a federal bribery case and a controversial intervention by the Trump administration to drop the charges, bypassed the primary and is campaigning for a second term as an independent.

“zohran is very unique. He’s far left, but Cuomo and Adams, listen to their rhetoric. They’re Zohran-lite,” Sliwa told The Associated Press. “I will be the choice.”

Sliwa may also act as a spoiler in the election. Despite calls from some Mamdani critics to withdraw and endorse a stronger candidate against the Democratic nominee,Sliwa has refused.

‘Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang’

sliwa is betting on crime as his winning issue, mirroring the success Adams, a former police captain, had in the 2021 election. This year’s Democratic primary centered on New York’s high crime rates.