Republican New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa rejected calls for him to withdraw from the race on Tuesday.
Sliwa was defiant during a morning press conference outside a Manhattan subway station, after many political observers called on him to withdraw from the race in order for Andrew Cuomo to defeat the Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani.
“So let’s be very clear. I am not dropping out. Under no circumstance. I’ve already been offered money to drop out, I said no. Distant from that, with threats against Nancy and myself, I now have to have armed security with me, former NYPD officers. Never had that in my life,” Sliwa said Tuesday.
One commuter walking by the press conference yelled, “Drop out already!”
Sliwa lashed out Cuomo, arguing the independent candidate was not putting real effort into his campaign. Instead, he said Cuomo was simply relying on Sliwa to drop out of the race.
Several prominent figures have called on Sliwa to withdraw, including billionaire John Castimatidis, who is CEO of WABC Radio and Red Apple Media.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.