New York City Mayoral Race: Curtis Sliwa—Better than Mamdani but Less Electable than Adams

Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels and a longtime New York City activist, is once again the Republican nominee for mayor, running unopposed in the GOP primary. Known for his signature red beret and decades of volunteer crime-fighting, Sliwa casts himself as the only candidate seriously addressing public safety, quality of life, and the needs of the outer boroughs.

His platform calls for restoring NYPD budget cuts, hiring 7,000 new officers, deploying 500 undercover cops in the subways, and reinstating qualified immunity. He proposes funding these initiatives by forcing institutions like Madison Square Garden and NYU to pay property taxes.

Sliwa also supports repealing the “City of Yes” zoning plan, capping the number of migrant and homeless shelters, and blocking the construction of lithium-ion battery storage sites in residential neighborhoods. A staunch animal welfare advocate, he created a separate “Protect Animals” ballot line to underscore his commitment to the issue.

Though not always in step with Donald Trump, he voted third-party in 2020 but backed Trump in 2024, Sliwa maintains he’s not the “Trump pick,” preferring to present himself as an independent-minded street-level leader. He was arrested (but not prosecuted) during a 2023 protest against illegal immigration outside Gracie Mansion, and he continues to reject political theater in favor of what he calls real solutions to crime, fare evasion, and urban decay.

Mamdani, by contrast, is running on a democratic socialist platform that proposes a $10 billion tax increase on businesses and high earners to fund free city bus service, rent freezes on stabilized apartments, city-owned grocery stores, and a $30 minimum wage by 2030. He supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide.”

His support for BDS and refusal to affirm Israel’s right to exist have drawn strong backlash from Jewish groups in New York City. During the campaign, Mamdani also sparked controversy for refusing to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a slogan associated with violent anti-Israel protests since the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023. Pressed repeatedly in interviews, Mamdani defended the phrase as a “desperate desire for equality” and claimed that mayors should not “police speech.”

Critics argue that Mamdani’s proposals are economically reckless. His plan to open city-run grocery stores, one in each borough, has been widely condemned as unrealistic and wasteful. Experts note that grocery retail is one of the most competitive, low-margin industries in the economy, and even companies like Amazon have struggled to turn a profit in the sector. Government-run stores would face higher costs due to civil service rules and would likely operate at a loss, undercutting private stores, distorting the market, and subsidizing wealthier consumers who don’t need help.

Meanwhile, his rent freeze proposal, one of his most radical and potentially destructive ideas, could worsen the city’s already distorted housing market and drive small landlords out of business. His free bus plan would blow a $700 million hole in the transit budget, and his tax hikes could trigger an exodus of high earners who fund most of the city’s services.

Mamdani supports eliminating qualified immunity for police officers and advocates for sweeping “public safety reform,” though he has not called for abolishing the NYPD. His campaign is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

While his platform has energized some progressive voters, his radical economic proposals, hostility toward Israel, and market-interventionist instincts have made him a deeply polarizing figure in the broader electorate.

Curtis Sliwa offers a clear policy contrast to Zohran Mamdani on core issues. On public safety, Sliwa calls for expanding the NYPD and restoring funding, drawing on 46 years of crime-fighting experience with the Guardian Angels.

Mamdani, by contrast, has supported defunding the police and proposes replacing traditional law enforcement functions with a new Department of Community Safety. Sliwa highlights practical concerns like the city’s $8.7 million annual loss to fare evasion and rising subway crime, while Mamdani pushes for a $30 minimum wage, city-run grocery stores, and rent freezes.

Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor now running as an independent, campaigns on what he calls a record of “practical accomplishments,” claiming that violent crime has dropped to historic lows, 500,000 new jobs have been created, and affordable housing has expanded during his tenure.

But many critics, including law enforcement veterans, dismiss the crime statistics as misleading. While official reports show decreases in shootings and murders, these figures reflect changes in policing and reporting rather than any real improvement in public safety. Many crimes are no longer being reported or prosecuted, artificially lowering the numbers. Meanwhile, shoplifting and recidivism are both up, and petty crime remains a daily concern for many residents.

As mayor, Adams rejected the defund-the-police movement and increased NYPD presence in the subways. Yet transit crime surged in 2023–2024, with spikes in robberies, assaults, and grand larcenies. Despite occasional monthly dips, violent crime rose overall in early 2024, with high-profile incidents fueling public concern.

MTA data shows rising rider-reported crimes and declining perceptions of safety, especially at night and in poorly patrolled areas. Fare evasion cost the MTA over $700 million in 2023, nearly double the 2018 figure, and 2024 losses may surpass $800 million. Patrols have increased, but enforcement remains inconsistent. Officers now issue fewer summonses and arrests, and fare evasion has become routine in parts of the system.

Some wealthy business figures, including Bill Ackman and real estate executive Marc Holliday, support Eric Adams despite the fact that his policies are not pro–free market capitalism. He has not cut taxes, reduced regulations, or shrunk the size of government. Instead, his economic agenda relies on public spending, subsidies, and public-private partnerships, hallmarks of socialism, corporatist or technocratic governance rather than free enterprise.

He backs government-led zoning reforms, subsidized housing, city-run job training programs, and business grants, all of which reflect state-managed intervention. Nonetheless, Adams maintains cross-party appeal that Sliwa lacks, polling better with Republicans and independents than with Democrats. President Trump has praised Adams as the better alternative to Mamdani, and business leaders see him as the only viable firewall against the socialist left.

Despite these advantages, Adams carries significant baggage. In 2024, he was indicted on federal bribery and fraud charges stemming from his time as Brooklyn Borough President, charges the Trump administration later dropped, but which sparked mass resignations in his administration.

His mayoralty has been rocked by allegations of political favoritism, NYPD corruption, and internal lawsuits accusing him of steering promotions to allies and silencing whistleblowers. He has gone through four police commissioners in less than four years, and internal turmoil has plagued key agencies.

Adams is a former Republican who rejoined the Democratic Party after what he described as a “personal protest” over crime, but many see his ideological flexibility as political opportunism. While he positions himself as the rational center between Sliwa and Mamdani, his governance has leaned toward establishment Democratic priorities.

For conservatives, this makes him an unreliable ally, useful in blocking the far left, but ultimately committed to big-government solutions. His appeal is rooted less in policy consistency than in incumbency, name recognition, and his ability to frame himself as the least radical option.

Despite offering a stark policy contrast to Zohran Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa remains a long shot in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans six to one. He lost to Eric Adams by nearly 40 points in 2021, and current polling shows similar weaknesses. In a hypothetical three-way race, Mamdani leads with 33%, Adams follows with 19%, and Sliwa trails at 16%. In a head-to-head matchup, Adams beats Sliwa 40% to 30%, dominating among Democrats while Sliwa retains support from 70% of Republicans.

Conservative strategists see Mamdani’s radical platform as a major vulnerability, but they doubt Sliwa can capitalize on it. Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA called Mamdani “stoppable” but dismissed Sliwa as “a little bit of a novelty candidate,” urging him to drop out so voters can consolidate behind a stronger alternative. Sliwa has refused, saying, “The only way you get me out of this race before Nov. 4 is in a coffin.”

Adams faces significant electoral challenges due to multiple scandals and low approval ratings. According to a July 2025 Slingshot Strategies poll, he trails far behind other candidates with only 11% overall support, polling at 26% among Republicans, just 9% among Democrats, and only 16% among his core base of Black voters.

With a 62% unfavorability rating, Adams has drawn praise from President Trump but struggles to maintain broad appeal. While some in the business community may view him as preferable to Mamdani’s socialist agenda, his weak polling across all demographic groups suggests he may not be the viable alternative to Mamdani that some hoped for.

Sliwa’s only realistic path to victory relies on a fractured opposition. With Adams, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and attorney Jim Walden all running as independents, Sliwa hopes to win with a narrow plurality if the vote splits evenly. He has argued that “a third of the city’s voters” could be enough to secure victory under the right conditions.

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