NYC MAYOR’S RACE: Curtis Sliwa delivers tearful, somber concession after decisive defeat

Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa delivered an impassioned address after conceding the 2025 mayoral election to Democratic nominee and apparent Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani Tuesday evening.

Sliwa, who had lagged far behind Mamdani and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo in the polls in the lead-up to the election, underperformed on Tuesday, registering just over 7% of the vote with over 80% of scanners reported.

The Republican nominee had faced continuous calls from Republicans and moderate Democrats to drop out and coalesce support behind Cuomo, but repeatedly stated that he would remain in the race.

In the end, Sliwa’s presence in the race did not impact the outcome as Mamdani claimed a majority, winning by 50.3% to Cuomo’s 41.6%, a margin of almost 200,000 votes at the time of writing.

But in a fiery address at Arte Cafe on the Upper West Side, a teary-eyed Sliwa, arm-in-arm with his wife Nancy, blasted the “billionaires” who “decided” that he did not have the right to represent the city’s Republican base.

Sliwa wanted to be the ‘voice of the voiceless’

“The Masters of the Universe, the billionaires, decided that I should not have the right to represent all of you, to be the voice of the voiceless, the working class people who are the backbone of this city,” Sliwa told his supporters Tuesday night.

He alleged that he had been offered $10 million to drop out of the race and boost Cuomo’s campaign but insisted that he did “not have a price.”

Sliwa declared Mamdani the Mayor-elect and wished him luck, stating that is in the interests of the city that the Queens lawmaker should succeed in City Hall.

But Sliwa, who had erstwhile dismissed concerns about the potential election of a democratic socialist by noting that the city had survived socialist mayors in the past, dialed up the rhetoric against Mamdani Tuesday night and said voters would not tolerate a socialist mayor.

“Let me warn our new leader, if you try to implement socialism, if you try to render our police weak and impotent, if you forsake the people’s public safety, we’re not only organizing, but we are mobilizing,” he said. “We will become the Mayor-elect and his supporters’ worst enemy.”

He expressed hope that the electorate voted against ballot proposals 2-4 that would reshape how the city approves housing projects, which he said would empower Mayor Eric Adams’ City of Yes and “destroy” quality of life in the city. All three ballots are set to pass at a margin of around 55-45%.

Sliwa described his defeat as a setback but said he was proud of the more than 2 million New Yorkers who voted in the 2025 election, the largest such tally since 1969.

“We need to applaud all New Yorkers, because men have died in battle so we could have this right,” Sliwa said.

Well wishes from a former New York governor

He vowed that Republicans in New York would have their day at the ballot box again and called on members of the Republican opposition to keep the Mamdani administration in check.

He did not, however, confirm whether or not he would run for mayor again in four years. Former Gov. George Pataki, who attended Sliwa’s election party on Tuesday night, described the election results as disappointing but said he remained optimistic about the city’s future.

Former New York Governor George PatakiPhoto by Shane O’Brien

“Hopefully, despite the outcome, tomorrow will be better and we’ll have a good future,” Pataki said.

Pataki, like Sliwa, said he hopes Mamdani can be a success and said he wishes him well in City Hall.

“I just wish him well,” he said. “I think we all should. It’s in all of our interests for whoever’s in office to succeed.”