Newsmax political analyst Rob Astorino pushed back against assertions that Republican Curtis Sliwa played spoiler in New York City's mayoral race on Tuesday, arguing that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's loss to democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani reflected left-wing turnout — not vote-splitting on the right.
On "Greg Kelly Reports," Astorino said Democrats were "energized" while Republicans stayed home, a familiar trend when President Donald Trump isn't on the ballot.
"I know what people are thinking," Astorino said. "You're doing simple math here — [Cuomo's] 42 plus 8 equals 50, and that would tie Mamdani, right?
"Wrong. You can't think of it that way, because Cuomo probably got as many Republican votes as he would have."
Astorino explained that Sliwa's 8% of the vote represented "solid, dyed-in-the-wool Republicans that would never vote for [Cuomo] anyway."
"Even if he got some of it, it wouldn't all go to Cuomo," he added. "So Sliwa is not the spoiler.
"Andrew Cuomo couldn't get to where he needed to get, and the energy is on the far left."
Astorino credited Mamdani's win to "an army of volunteers" and ground-level enthusiasm, saying, "Cuomo had a ton of money, but he didn't have the foot soldiers — and that's what cost him this race."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.