New York City Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa said on Newsmax Sunday that new polling shows he has a stronger chance of defeating Democrat nominee Zohran Mamdani in a one-on-one matchup than does former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the independent in the race.
This, Sliwa told Newsmax's "Sunday Agenda," is because his "law and order" campaign has gained steady momentum after recent debates.
"Notice, with all the polls that have come out, they never had me one-on-one with Mamdani," Sliwa said.
"This was the first poll that actually said, no, no, if Curtis is one-on-one with Mamdani, he does much better than Cuomo does," he added.
The election is Nov. 4.
Sliwa said his performance in recent debates and his endorsements from people like former New York Gov. George Pataki and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani underscore his appeal to voters seeking safer streets and stronger policing.
"Of course, because I'm the only law and order candidate endorsed by Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki," he said.
"Meantime, these two candidates, as you saw in the two debates that I beat both of them in, I pointed out how Cuomo was the architect of no cash bail that has destroyed our city," said the Guardian Angels founder.
Sliwa also addressed Cuomo's record, linking him to bail changes and efforts to close Rikers Island, which Sliwa argued contributed to a "Democratic disaster" in public safety.
"It was Cuomo who raised the age that allowed [violent offenders] instead to go to family court and be released instead of criminal court and get locked up," he said.
"If we don't establish law and order and public safety in the streets and subways, it continues the Democratic disaster that has led to," he said.
Sliwa dismissed traditional polling trends as unreliable, citing Cuomo's early lead in the spring as an example.
"When Cuomo announced on March 1, 2025, he was 40 points ahead," said Sliwa. Zohran Mamdani was at 1%. Three months later, Mamdani beats him by 13%. So I put no faith in the polls."
Still, Sliwa said the latest head-to-head results show "momentum is ours."
"I've got 13 headquarters. I've raised more local matching funds than Andrew Cuomo, and the momentum is ours," he said.
"Coming off of those two debates, clearly the majority of people understood that I took it to Cuomo and came out the winner," he said.
Sliwa also reiterated his support for President Donald Trump, calling himself the only candidate willing to work with the president for the good of the city.
"I support the president. I voted for the president. I work with the president," he said. "I'm the only candidate to say that in two public debates. The other two want to fight him. You don't fight Donald Trump and win — you lose."
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