Sliwa Alleges Bribe Offers in Contentious Mayoral Race
Teh New York City mayoral race has been further inflamed by accusations of attempted bribery leveled by Republican candidate curtis Sliwa against associates of former Governor Andrew Cuomo. At a recent press conference, Sliwa claimed he has been approached at least seven times by “emissaries” from the Cuomo camp offering millions of dollars to withdraw from the race. Sliwa stated thes individuals repeatedly suggested, “C’mon Curtis, everybody has a price,” to which he responded by asserting he is not for sale.
These claims were swiftly and vehemently denied by a spokesperson for Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, who labeled Sliwa “a liar and a fraudster” and characterized the allegations as a continuation of Sliwa’s history of fabricating incidents for publicity.
Sliwa extended his accusations to include current Mayor Eric Adams,alleging that Adams was also offered financial incentives by the Cuomo camp to exit the race. He predicted Adams might ultimately accept such an offer. adams responded with a statement dismissing Sliwa as a “clown” attempting to create a “circus” and insisted he had never been offered anything to leave the race, calling the suggestion “insulting.”
Interestingly, Democratic nominee Khaleed mamdani appeared to express a degree of trust in Sliwa’s account, stating when questioned about the controversy, “I trust Curtis the most,” among the three candidates involved.
A recent Suffolk University poll, conducted September 15-18 among 500 likely voters, reveals Mamdani leading with 45% of the vote. However,this also indicates a meaningful portion of voters remain undecided or support other candidates. Sliwa currently polls at 8.6% and Adams at 8.2%, with Adams having recently experienced a period with limited public campaign events.reports of a potential withdrawal by Adams to accept a position in the Trump management have subsided. Despite being denied matching funds, Adams maintains he will not be dropping out of the race.
While the anti-Mamdani candidates engage in these disputes, Mamdani is gaining endorsements from within the Democratic party, including a tepid endorsement from Vice President Kamala Harris, who stated he deserves support as the Democratic nominee.He previously secured endorsements from progressive figures like Senator Bernie Sanders and Congress member AOC. Though, some national Democratic leaders express concern that Mamdani’s Democratic Socialist identity could negatively impact the party’s performance in upcoming Senate and Congressional races against President Donald Trump. Senator Chuck Schumer has reportedly spoken with Mamdani but has not yet issued a formal endorsement.
jim Walden previously ended his campaign and called for the remaining candidates to unite behind a single challenger to Mamdani, but so far, no one has followed his lead.
the Suffolk University poll identified affordability (21%), crime (20%), and the economy/jobs (14%) as the top issues for New York City voters in this election.
