Curtis Sliwa's boss becomes the latest Republican trying to push him out of NYC mayoral race

"Catsimatidis and some other Republicans have rallied behind Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, in a bid to stop Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani from becoming mayor. Cuomo and his allies are pushing Sliwa to drop out after successfully getting Mayor Eric Adams to leave the race, arguing the former New York governor could then consolidate opposition to Mamdani, a democratic socialist."

"The back-and-forth over Sliwa's future in the race appears to have only emboldened him. Having drawn new attention from his performance in Thursday's debate, Sliwa has dismissed Cuomo and his backers as he argues voters should have the last word when it comes to New York City's future. During an interview posted Saturday with YouTube journalist Nate Friedman, Sliwa rebuked Cuomo and high-profile backers, including Bill Ackman, who has been sharply critical of both Sliwa and Mamdani."

"Now he's saying I can't win without Sliwa votes where are your votes? He's got millions from the billionaires, millions go out, get you a vote, convert Sliwa voters, Sliwa said of Cuomo. But for me to drop out? I represent a major party line. This is called voting. Since when do we not let people vote? Billionaires determine the next mayor? If they don't like it, they can leave, they have options. Blue-collar working-class people don't; those are the people I am representing, not Andrew Cuomo."

John Catsimatidis publicly urged Curtis Sliwa to withdraw from the New York City mayoral race, endorsing Andrew Cuomo's independent bid to block Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo and allies pushed Sliwa to exit after persuading Mayor Eric Adams to leave, aiming to consolidate anti-Mamdani voters. Sliwa responded by embracing his debate attention, rejecting billionaire-backed pressure, and arguing that voters—not donors—should decide the election. Sliwa framed his campaign as representing blue-collar, working-class New Yorkers and rebuked high-profile critics including Bill Ackman while maintaining his position on the Republican ballot line.

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