From his ruby-red beret and perfect one-liners to his forthright mindset on the roads and kind words regarding his pet cats, Curtis Sliwa has actually been a standout number in New york city City for years.
The 71-year-old Republican mayoral candidate informed ABC Information’ Linsey Davis that that experience not just establishes him in addition to his challengers, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and previous Gov. Andrew Cuomo, yet additionally reverberates highly with citizens.

ABC Information’ Linsey Davis meetings New York City Mayoral Prospect Curtis Sliwa, Oct. 31, 2025.
Michael J. Lebrecht II/ABC Information
” I’m the only actual New Yorker running in this race. The others, they have actually had a mug of coffee right here, and afterwards they have actually mosted likely to various other areas, which is great. Yet Curtis Sliwa, if you also ask my foes, they’ll claim he’s the actual New Yorker, the actual New Yorker,” claimed Sliwa, that was additionally the Republican prospect for mayor in 2021, shedding to existing Autonomous incumbent Eric Adams, that is not competing reelection.
Although he is tracking in the surveys and has actually been pushed by Head of state Donald Trump and some Republican politicians to bail out, Sliwa has actually been unwavering in his marketing, striking the roads and making his pitch regarding enhancing safety and security for New Yorkers.
It has actually been Sliwa’s single campaign considering that he was 24, when he started The Guardian Angels, a charitable criminal activity avoidance company. When it was introduced in the 1970s, he and various other volunteers patrolled the Bronx when the city’s criminal activity prices were rising.
” There were no police officers, there were financial lowerings. New York City City got on the edge of going Phase 11. I was an evening supervisor at McDonald’s in the Bronx, which was refuting, which had extra gangs often than police officers,” he claimed.
The team swiftly broadened to all 5 districts and ultimately went worldwide.
Although Sliwa claimed the city has actually transformed right considering that the ’70s, he claimed there are still significant concerns with criminal activity that he competes were not attended to by the last 2 Autonomous mayors.

ABC Information’ Linsey Davis meetings New York City Mayoral Prospect Curtis Sliwa, Oct. 31, 2025.
Michael J. Lebrecht II/ABC
” I call it a criminal activity dilemma. We reside in a city where we secure tooth paste and we do not secure wrongdoers. I indicate, it’s unpleasant when individuals come and see us and they claim, ‘Curtis, I attempted to obtain a tube of tooth paste. I reached wait 20 mins.’ Whatever’s secured. You do not appear to secure your wrongdoers,” he claimed.
Sliwa was important of both of his challengers’ plans and their assaults on him. Cuomo has actually said that he is the prospect with one of the most experience in public workplace.
The Republican candidate banged Cuomo’s document, mentioning criminal justice reform acts passed while he was guv and his resignation from workplace because of examinations right into unwanted sexual advances. Cuomo refuted the accusations.
” He was a disgraced guv,” Sliwa claimed. “So he has a lot experience. He has numerous adverse points credited to him that we would certainly need to fill out a New york city City town library with every one of his failings.”
Mamdani has actually led his project with a concentrate on cost and pressed ahead propositions that would certainly ice up the rental fee for rent-stabilized apartment or condos and give cost-free buses and global childcare.
Sliwa joked that you can fit Mamdani’s “whole return to on an alcoholic drink paper napkin,” and said that he does not get in touch with working-class blue collar New Yorkers.
” The truth will certainly strike extremely fast that he does not have accessibility to cash for every one of his programs– cost-free recompense, undoubtedly, ice up the rental fee, and the important point, global childcare. Childcare is seriously required, yet it’s not gon na be global childcare,” Sliwa claimed.

ABC Information’ Linsey Davis meetings New York City Mayoral Prospect Curtis Sliwa, Oct. 31, 2025.
Michael J. Lebrecht II/ABC
Sliwa competed that Mamdani’s strong propositions are the reason Trump has actually endangered to keep government financing if the assemblyman wins the political election.
Sliwa claimed he would certainly have a much more polite partnership with Trump.
” I obtain chosen, I take a seat, whoever Donald Trump appoints, and I rest. Allow’s work out. He enjoys that. When you claim ‘work out’ to Donald Trump, it resembles the most effective point you can ever before claim to Donald Trump,” he claimed.
The sensation, nonetheless, has actually not been common as Trump and some Republicans pressed Sliwa to leave the race, fruitless. Sliwa recognized that he’s not a MAGA Republican politician and is open to differing with the head of state on concerns, such as sending out National Guard soldiers right into cities.
Nonetheless, he identified himself from the leading 1% that he said is backing his challengers.
” I am a populist, blue-collar, working-class prospect. I’m not the prospect of billionaires,” he claimed.
When it concerns reasonable objections regarding himself, Sliwa claimed recognized that he can be a little “a performer,” returning his time as a talk radio host, yet competed there was absolutely nothing incorrect with his power.
” You do not need to be so significant at all times that it feels like you’re offering a guide regarding the concerns of the day. You can do both. Yet you need to talk the language of the usual female, the commoner. You can not discuss them. You need to speak to them– which’s what I do,” Sliwa claimed.

ABC Information’ Linsey Davis meetings New York City Mayoral Prospect Curtis Sliwa, Oct. 31, 2025.
Michael J. Lebrecht II/ABC
The prospect additionally claimed he was not embarrassed regarding his interest for pet treatment and the jokes that feature that.
Sliwa has actually had as numerous as 17 pet cats dealing with him in his small apartment, which he claimed begun when his other half started absorbing rescue pet cats from city sanctuaries throughout the pandemic.
” As Mahatma Gandhi claimed, a culture that does not care for its pets, does not care for its individuals,” he claimed. “I like pets, I understand many Americans do.”