Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo ramped up his attacks against Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in the final stretch of New York City‘s mayoral race on Monday, saying his opponent was never battle-tested by voters and was instead “put on” the ballot by GOP leadership.
“Nobody voted for Curtis Sliwa,” he said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom. “He was put on the ballot by the Republican chairpeople.”
Public pressure is mounting on Sliwa to suspend his campaign, but he refuses to bow out. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
With just over two weeks to go until Election Day, Cuomo and Sliwa remain in the mayoral race as they trail behind Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in the polls.
Cuomo proceeded to knock Sliwa as a “perpetual mayoral candidate,” referencing the Republican’s unsuccessful 2021 mayoral bid against current Mayor Eric Adams, who is not seeking reelection. The former New York governor also called Sliwa a “shock jock on local radio” and questioned his qualifications, given the long-shot candidate’s lack of relevant experience working for the government.
“But [Sliwa] does take a certain number of votes, and to that extent, he is a spoiler,” Cuomo told Fox News. “I believe he’s ultimately irrelevant because he’s not a viable candidate, and I don’t think people are going to throw away their vote.”
Furthermore, he claimed Sliwa runs a “defunct organization” in the form of the Guardian Angels, a crime prevention nonprofit group known for its members wearing red berets. Contrary to Cuomo’s line of attack, the Guardian Angels are not defunct and remain active.
Over the weekend, Sliwa rejected calls to end his campaign and rather placed the onus on Cuomo to win his own votes instead of siphoning Republican votes.
“Andrew Cuomo failed everybody in that primary. He even admitted it,” Sliwa said on The Nate Friedman Show. “Now he’s basically saying, ‘I can’t win without Sliwa votes.’ Where are your votes?”
“I represent a major party line. I have people running under me — counsel people, judges — they put their heart and soul into it. They support me,” he added. “This is called voting. Since when do we not let people vote?”
MAMDANI WEATHERS CUOMO AND SLIWA JABS, BEATS AFFORDABILITY DRUM IN FIRST NYC MAYORAL DEBATE
In the interview, Sliwa labeled the former governor a “sexual harasser” and accused him of killing elderly people by admitting COVID-19 positive patients into nursing homes during the pandemic.
After dropping out of the race, Adams has yet to throw his support behind Cuomo or Sliwa to defeat Mamdani next month. Cuomo said on Monday he’s actively speaking with the mayor about a possible endorsement but ruled out one from President Donald Trump if he were to back a candidate.
