By: Fern Sidman

Curtis Sliwa, the red-beret-wearing founder of the Guardian Angels and the Republican nominee for mayor of New York City, is refusing to bow to mounting pressure from political insiders — including the White House itself — to abandon his campaign in favor of consolidating the anti-socialist vote, The New York Post reported on Thursday.

With just weeks remaining until November’s pivotal election, Sliwa finds himself at the center of a heated debate over strategy, loyalty, and the future of the city. Polls consistently place him in third, trailing Democratic Socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is mounting an independent run. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, meanwhile, has plummeted to fourth place amid corruption scandals and collapsing support.

Yet Sliwa insists that he is “in it to win it” and owes it to his donors, supporters, and fellow Republicans to fight through to Election Day.

According to campaign finance records cited in The New York Post report, Sliwa has raised more than $3 million since June, buoyed by small-dollar donations from an army of 7,200 supporters. Contributions averaged just $118, underscoring the grassroots nature of his campaign. By contrast, Cuomo has drawn support from only about 1,000 donors, while Adams has attracted roughly 2,100. Mamdani, however, has amassed a staggering 18,000 donors — reflecting his commanding lead and activist base.

As of Thursday, Sliwa’s campaign had $3.4 million cash on hand, a war chest that he and his backers argue will allow him to remain a competitive force through November.

The state’s campaign finance system complicates matters further. As The New York Post report detailed, Sliwa has received nearly $3.3 million in public matching funds. Should he withdraw, he would be legally required to return those funds, a burden that effectively locks him into the race. Even in defeat, he would be obligated to return any unspent public funds after accounting for approved expenses.

“This isn’t just about Curtis,” former Governor George Pataki told The New York Post. “He has an obligation to other Republican candidates running down ballot. He would be abandoning them if he dropped out — and that’s not going to happen.”

The pressure campaign against Sliwa escalated dramatically this week when President Trump, in an extraordinary move, inserted himself directly into the mayoral contest. The president set an unenforceable 10-day deadline for minor candidates to step aside, urging a one-on-one contest against Mamdani.

According to the information provided in The New York Post report, Trump and his advisers believe Cuomo is best positioned to defeat the socialist Assemblyman, citing polling that shows Cuomo running a closer second. The White House has even floated the possibility of administration jobs for candidates willing to exit the race, though Sliwa has flatly rejected the idea.

“I don’t like to see a communist become mayor,” Trump told reporters Thursday, using his characteristic bluntness to describe Mamdani. “I think you can’t win unless you have one-on-one. I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one. And I think that’s a race.”

Still, Sliwa has bristled at the suggestion that he should step aside. “My focus is right here in New York,” he said in a statement carried by The New York Post. “I’m the only candidate on a major party line who can defeat Mamdani, and I’m committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day. The people of New York City deserve a mayor who truly cares.”

For Sliwa and his backers, the push to unite behind Cuomo is both misguided and hypocritical. Cuomo lost to Mamdani by double digits in the Democratic primary, a defeat that should have ended his political comeback. Instead, the former governor mounted an independent bid, complicating the field and muddying the anti-Mamdani coalition.

“Why isn’t there pressure to get Andrew Cuomo out?” Pataki asked pointedly in an interview with The New York Post. “He got crushed by Mamdani in the Democratic primary. If you want a one-on-one, get Cuomo out of the race. In a one-on-one, Curtis has a real shot to win.”

This line of argument has been echoed by state GOP Chairman Ed Cox, who told The New York Post that Cuomo’s supposed electability is a “red herring.” According to Cox, Sliwa’s grassroots donor base, Republican Party ballot line, and substantial war chest make him a more authentic and viable contender.

Complicating matters further is the presence of Eric Adams, the scandal-scarred incumbent. Once seen as the establishment’s bulwark against progressive insurgents, Adams has sunk into near-irrelevance after corruption probes and cratering approval ratings. Though he continues to campaign as an independent, most polls place him a distant fourth — far behind Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa.

For Sliwa, Adams’s weakness only strengthens his case to remain in the race. With Adams fading, the contest is increasingly shaping up as a three-way fight between Sliwa, Cuomo, and Mamdani.

One idea floated in Washington and Albany alike is that Sliwa might be persuaded to exit with the promise of a federal job. But allies dismiss the notion as fanciful.

“You can criticize him for a lot of things, and I often have,” Joe Borelli, former City Council Minority Leader, told The New York Post. “But he is in it to win it. He doesn’t want to punch a clock as the deputy secretary of widgets. He doesn’t want to be the ambassador to Somewhere-istan where berets are all the rage. The race, the fight, the show, the win, the mayoralty — that’s all he wants. Love him or hate him.”

Sliwa himself confirmed he has not been approached by the White House and would not entertain such offers if they were made. His mission, he said, is New York.

Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old Democratic Socialist Assemblyman from Queens, has capitalized on the fractured field to maintain a commanding lead. His unapologetically progressive platform, rooted in housing rights, police reform, and anti-Israel rhetoric, has alarmed moderates across the political spectrum.

As The New York Post has highlighted repeatedly, Mamdani’s refusal to condemn chants of “globalize the intifada” and his criticism of Israel just one day after the October 7 Hamas massacre have drawn sharp rebukes from Jewish leaders and pro-Israel advocates.

It is precisely Mamdani’s rise that has spurred Trump and others to push for unity behind Cuomo. Yet Sliwa’s team insists that the Guardian Angels founder represents the “only major party alternative” — one who has consistently carried the Republican banner in New York City politics and who embodies the tough-on-crime ethos many voters crave.

Beyond Sliwa’s personal ambitions, his backers argue that the GOP’s credibility in New York is on the line. As the Republican Party’s official nominee, his presence at the top of the ticket is seen as essential for boosting turnout and aiding down-ballot Republican candidates across the city.

Pataki was unequivocal on this point in his comments to The New York Post: “Curtis would be abandoning the party if he left. He is committed to the city and to the Republican cause. That’s not going to change.”

In the end, Curtis Sliwa’s defiance of both internal and external pressure reflects the peculiar dynamics of New York politics in 2025. A fractured field has elevated a socialist to frontrunner status, while a former governor, a scandal-scarred incumbent, and a streetwise Republican icon battle for the chance to stop him.

For Sliwa, the choice is clear: stay in the race, honor his obligations to donors and the party, and fight to the end. As he told The New York Post, “I’m committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day. The people of New York City deserve a mayor who truly cares.”

Whether that message resonates broadly enough to upend Mamdani’s lead remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: Curtis Sliwa, the man in the red beret, isn’t going anywhere.