Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa speaks throughout a mayoral debate, in New York, U.S., October 16, 2025. Angelina Katsanis/Pool by way of REUTERS
John Catsimatidis, the billionaire proprietor of WABC Radio and Purple Apple Media, has known as on Republican mayoral nominee and WABC host Curtis Sliwa to drop out of the election — citing considerations that the Guardian Angels founder’s candidacy might break up the vote and “inadvertently help another candidate.”
The “another candidate,” as Purple Apple Media described in an Oct. 20 announcement, appears to be Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who Catismatidis beforehand labeled as somebody who “wants to be the Fidel Castro of New York City,” referring to the murderous communist Cuban dictator.
Sliwa, who has labored with WABC Radio for many years, is at the moment on a go away of absence from his common Sunday evening present whereas operating for mayor. The Republican candidate is at the moment polling third within the race behind Democratic nominee and clear frontrunner Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s operating as an unbiased.
Quite a few Republicans and reasonable Democrats have beforehand known as on Sliwa to withdraw from the election and as a substitute assist Cuomo to provide the previous governor a greater probability of defeating Mamdani in a head-to-head race.
Catsimatidis, a grocery store magnate and billionaire businessman who beforehand sought the Republican nomination within the 2013 mayoral election, has now joined these figures, stating that it’s important to consolidate assist behind a “viable alternative” for mayor.
Sliwa marketing campaign resists drop-out name
Sliwa has repeatedly acknowledged that he won’t be dropping out of the race and has, by a marketing campaign spokesperson, responded to Catsimatidis’s feedback reaffirming that stance.
“Curtis Sliwa stands firm and is not dropping out,” Sliwa’s marketing campaign spokesperson Daniel Kurzyna mentioned in a press release. “Others may have their opinions, but the voters will decide in 15 days.”
Kurzyna additional accused Cuomo of being absent from public view for the previous 10 days and mentioned the previous governor should persuade voters to vote for him in a three-way contest.
“If he seeks support, he must actively earn it,” Kurzyna mentioned.
Talking to conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg on WABC-AM, nonetheless, Catsimatidis mentioned Sliwa could be doing the “wrong thing” by remaining within the race.
Catsimatidis described Sliwa, 71, as one of the best candidate within the race however known as on the Republican candidate to withdraw and provide Cuomo one of the best probability of profitable. He mentioned Sliwa’s withdrawal would give the Republican candidate a good chance of profitable the 2029 mayoral election as a result of voters will bear in mind him doing the “right thing.”
“Curtis would make the best mayor of all the candidates … but Curtis has to realize that he should love New York more than anything else,” Catsimatidis instructed Rosenberg.
“He could win the next election because people will be proud of him for doing the right thing for New York City, instead of the wrong thing. We cannot take a chance on Zohran [Mamdani] winning and every common-sense New Yorker feels the same way.”
Catsimatidis’s feedback on Monday coincided with a brand new ballot from AARP and Gotham Polling & Analytics highlighting that Mamdani holds a double-digit lead over Cuomo in a three-way contest however a lead of solely 4% in a head-to-head race.
The ballot discovered that 44.6% of voters would again Mamdani in a two-way contest if Sliwa withdrew from the election, with 40.7% of voters breaking for Cuomo, which falls inside the ballot’s margin of error.
Kurzyna mentioned the brand new ballot “does not change anything,” and acknowledged that Sliwa will stay within the race forward of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Early voting within the contest begins this Saturday, Oct. 25.
