logo
In NYC mayor's race, Republican Curtis Sliwa has no intention of dropping out

In NYC mayor's race, Republican Curtis Sliwa has no intention of dropping out

CBS News3 days ago
Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee for mayor of New York City, says he will not drop out of the race to help Mayor Eric Adams or former Gov. Andrew Cuomo defeat Democrat Zohran Mamdani.
The Guardian Angels founder, who lost to Adams in 2021, told CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer" on Sunday the idea of candidates strategically dropping out to block Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, from winning Gracie Mansion is unrealistic and possibly unfair to voters.
"Everybody loves to play fantasy politics. If you've received matching funds and you drop out, you gotta give it all back," Sliwa said. "You think Cuomo's gonna give it all back? You think Jim Walden's gonna give it all back? Not gonna happen. You think I'm gonna give it all back? I'm not independently wealthy. Number two, you're still on the line. They don't take your name off."
Sliwa said his supporters would not vote for Cuomo "under any circumstance."
"So let the people decide. Nobody's dropping out. This fantasy idea of Jim Walden, who is really a surrogate for Andrew Cuomo, is not resonating with anybody," he said.
Cuomo said he would drop out only if Adams is ahead of him in pre-election polls, and Walden made a similar promise. Adams said Cuomo should exit the race regardless because he already lost once to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.
Sliwa said Mamdani proved his strength as a candidate in the primary, but he opposes his biggest campaign promises -- a rent freeze on stabilized units, fare-free buses and city-run grocery stores.
"I wouldn't vote for a rent freeze because obviously you're gonna see an abandonment of properties," Sliwa said. "Half the people don't even pay the fare on the bus to begin with. We gotta talk about fare enforcement. Adams hasn't done any fare enforcement. Cuomo, when was governor, hasn't done any ... Somebody's gotta pay for the free buses, right? Nothing is free. You gotta pay for it. The point is, I'm the only one saying enforcement, everybody pays the fare. If you can't afford it, there's half reduction, a third reduction."
"City-run grocery stores. Hey, how did that work in Kansas City recently? They imploded. I was in Havana, I saw. You walk in with a ration book if you're a citizen in Cuba. If you're a tourist, you get to walk to normal kinds of Walmart supermarkets where everything is set. It doesn't work," he continued.
In his campaign, Sliwa is promising to slash the city's corporate taxes and property taxes in the outer boroughs. But reducing crime is still his top priority.
"First off, you've got to have law and order, because you could cut people's taxes, you could make it more corporate friendly, and they're not gonna stay," he said. "I'm gonna add 7,000 cops. And guess who I am taxing? Jimmy Dolan, Madison Square Garden, you owe $43 million in property tax a year. He's had a sweetheart deal."
Sliwa said he'd also tax Columbia University and New York University "only on their real estate holdings that have nothing to do with education."
"They've become big real estate firms. They own so much real estate in Greenwich Village and Morningside Heights that has nothing to do with education. That has to be taxed," he said.
Sliwa said he believes some Republican Party leaders would prefer a Mamdani victory because it could boost the GOP in the 2026 midterms.
"I don't believe President Trump thinks that. He's a New Yorker, but there are others who hate New York," Sliwa said. "There are a lot of people, even Democrats, around the country, they hate, they despise, they loathe New York."
Sliwa is attempting to become the first Republican to move into Gracie Mansion since Rudy Giuliani in 1994. Michael Bloomberg was a lifelong Democrat before he switched to the GOP and won the mayor's race in 2001. Bloomberg was an independent during his third term.
Cuomo opted to wage an independent campaign after losing the Democratic primary. Adams chose to skip the primary and seek reelection as an independent. Walden also qualified to be on an independent ballot line.
There was no Republican primary.
Click here to watch Sliwa's full interview.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump ‘seriously considering' pardon for Diddy ahead of sentencing
Trump ‘seriously considering' pardon for Diddy ahead of sentencing

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump ‘seriously considering' pardon for Diddy ahead of sentencing

President Trump is reportedly considering granting a pardon to Sean 'Diddy' Combs after an official decision has been made on his latest $50 million bail petition. An administration source told Deadline the president is 'seriously' weighing a pardon for the hip-hop mogul ahead of his sentencing in October. Combs' legal team filed yet another bail package proposal on Tuesday, arguing that most people convicted under the federal Mann Act — an anti-sex trafficking law with a century-old history — are released from jail pending their sentencing. Sources told TMZ on Wednesday that Trump is 'more than open' to pardoning the disgraced music mogul, but only based on Judge Arun Subramanian's ruling on the bail petition. If Diddy is granted bail, Trump will reportedly wait to decide on a pardon until his sentencing, which is scheduled for Oct. 3. However, if the judge denies bail, a decision will be made immediately. The Bad Boy Records founder was acquitted earlier this month of the sex trafficking and racketeering charges against him but convicted on prostitution-related offenses, including two counts of violating the Mann Act, which is primarily used for prosecuting interstate prostitution crimes. Sources say that Combs' case resonates with Trump because he believes the rapper, much like himself, has been unfairly targeted by the feds. Combs and Trump have a history of running in the same circles in New York City before the president's political pursuits. In a 2012 episode of 'The Apprentice,' Trump described Combs as a 'good friend.' The president first teased the possibility of pardoning Combs in May, saying he hadn't officially been asked by anyone on Diddy's legal team, though he knows 'people are thinking about it.' 'I would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don't like me,' Trump said at the time, acknowledging that his fellow New York native 'used to really like me a lot' prior to him entering politics. 'I haven't spoken to him in years,' Trump said. 'I think when I ran for politics that relationship sort of busted up. He didn't tell me that, but I read some little bit nasty stuff in the paper.' Combs is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison. _____

Trump says US and Pakistan have concluded a trade deal
Trump says US and Pakistan have concluded a trade deal

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump says US and Pakistan have concluded a trade deal

By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his administration struck a deal with Pakistan in which Washington will work with Islamabad in developing the South Asian nation's oil reserves. "We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves," Trump wrote on social media. "We are in the process of choosing the Oil Company that will lead this Partnership." Trump's social media post did not provide further details on the deal between the U.S. and Pakistan. The Pakistani embassy in Washington had no immediate comment. Last week, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the United States and Pakistan were "very close" to a trade deal that could come within days, after he met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday. Under Trump, Washington has attempted to renegotiate trade agreements with many countries that he threatened with tariffs over what he calls unfair trade relations. Many economists dispute Trump's characterization. The U.S. State Department and Pakistan's foreign ministry, in separate statements after Rubio's meeting with Dar, said last week the two top diplomats stressed in their discussion the importance of expanding trade and ties in critical minerals and mining. "Our teams have been here in Washington discussing, having virtual meetings and a committee has been tasked by the prime minister to fine tune now," Dar said last week about U.S.-Pakistan talks. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Eby calls softwood lumber dispute "canary in the coal mine" of U.S. protectionism
Eby calls softwood lumber dispute "canary in the coal mine" of U.S. protectionism

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Eby calls softwood lumber dispute "canary in the coal mine" of U.S. protectionism

VICTORIA — Premier David Eby says the federal government cannot forget about the fate of British Columbia's softwood lumber industry as the deadline for a trade deal between the United States and Canada is hours away. Aug. 1 is the deadline the United States has set for a trade deal with Canada, and Eby says he hopes his province's softwood lumber industry remains on the "radar" of Prime Minister Mark Carney as Ottawa continues negotiations. Eby told an unrelated news conference that the industry has been the "canary in the coal mine" signalling American protectionism, saying Canadian softwood exports have been subject to "unfair duties" for the "better part of almost two generations," well before the current trade dispute triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump. But Eby says the dispute's long-standing nature does not mean the industry "should be ignored," and resolving it could actually help broker a larger deal. The industry faces combined duties of 34.94 per cent, after the U.S. Department of Commerce hiked anti-dumping duties to 20.56 per cent. While other industries such as Ontario's automobile sector are important, Eby says the prolonged length of the softwood lumber dispute and pre-existing duties should not lead to the assumption that the industry is not a "priority." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025. Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store