Council Member Robert Holden has endorsed Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa for Mayor. NYC Council Flickr.
Council Member Robert Holden has endorsed Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, touting the Guardian Angels founder’s “decades of public service and straight talk.”
Sliwa is trailing far behind Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and unbiased candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a three-way contest within the 2025 election, based on most polls.
Holden, nonetheless, acknowledged that Sliwa has “earned the trust” of New Yorkers by his “long record” of public service as head of the volunteer patrol.
A conservative Democrat who has lengthy opposed Mamdani’s nomination, Holden stated Cuomo is “not the answer” to defeat Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist who’s the clear frontrunner within the mayoral election.
Holden accused Cuomo of resigning as governor to keep away from being impeached after being accused of sexual harassment by a number of girls. Cuomo has persistently denied the allegations.
Nonetheless, Holden wrote, “That alone should disqualify him from any future office.”
The Council member additional argued that Sliwa represents a extra “common-sense” candidate than Cuomo, writing that the Republican nominee will pursue insurance policies that defend New Yorkers.
“If you want safe streets, honest government and relief for working people, choose the candidate that has been there with you,” Cuomo wrote.
Holden criticized Cuomo over his coverage report as governor, particularly concentrating on the landmark bail reform invoice that Cuomo signed into legislation in 2019. The laws eradicated money bail for many misdemeanor and non-violent felony prices and aimed to handle considerations that money bail disproportionately impacted low-income defendants who couldn’t afford money bail and suffered pre-trial incarceration consequently.
Holden additional criticized Cuomo for “imposing” congestion pricing on New Yorkers after the previous governor included the measure within the 2019 state funds. Gov. Kathy Hochul ultimately applied congestion pricing in January 2025, following considerations voiced by Cuomo over the measure in 2024.
Cuomo, as soon as thought-about the daddy of congestion pricing, argued that the state’s financial system, coupled with fears over subway security, meant its implementation represented “unfortunate timing.”
Holden accused Holden of operating “social experiments” on New Yorkers by implementing such insurance policies and stated Sliwa would reverse the “damage” that has taken place within the metropolis not too long ago.
“He (Sliwa) built the Guardian Angels into a global public safety force,” Holden wrote. “He has walked the streets, ridden the subways, and stood with victims when no one else would. His campaign has grassroots support, a serious platform, and the toughness to govern.”
