The New York City mayoral election has drawn national attention in a way voters haven’t seen in modern history. This is because Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, 33 and a self-described democratic socialist, is poised to win based on the latest polling.

At the low end, he is 11 points over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. At the high end, he is up +24 points. Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa trails in third place, yet some polls show him close to 20% in a field with two other Democrats.

Meanwhile, facing pressure to drop out, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams has forfeited his seat in a gamble to keep Mamdani from winning.

What is more surprising is that Mamdani isn’t the only star to emerge from this race. In fact, despite being in last place, Sliwa has become a bit of a New York celebrity, liked even among Democrats – though they won’t vote for him.

Look up Sliwa on TikTok or Instagram and there are countless videos from Mamdani supporters, in particular, who say they won’t vote for Sliwa, they disagree with him on policy, but they like him and feel that he represents a true New Yorker.

Sliwa has been a political figure and activist in New York City for decades. He is most well-known for starting the Guardian Angels, a volunteer patrol group known for the red beret he always wears.

He has also built a career as a talk show radio host. 

NYC standup comedian Lukas Arnold said, “My friend Gabby said it best about Curtis Sliwa. He is a true New York eccentric.” One commenter on another video said, “I don’t want Sliwa to win, but I want him to run for everything.”

In various ways, Sliwa has brought levity, authenticity, and an understanding that just because voters don’t like a person’s policies doesn’t mean they are the enemy or that they have to be hated. There are many videos that parody Sliwa, but not in a disparaging way.

Mamdani said if the general election was conducted using ranked choice voting – like in the city’s primary elections – he would rank himself first and then Sliwa second, which on the debate stage produced a lighthearted and hilarious moment.

And while Sliwa responded that he wouldn’t rank Mamdani or Cuomo, he said he supports ranked choice voting (RCV).

The lack of RCV in the general election is notable. With Sliwa polling as high as 20% and Mamdani failing to reach a majority in many polls, this means the winner will likely receive less than 50% of the vote.

As a result, Sliwa has been labeled a “spoiler,” despite winning the Republican primary. He has reportedly been urged by some conservatives, some moderate Democrats, and wealthy donors to drop out. According to Sliwa, he has even been offered “millions” to exit the race.

Cuomo has also called Sliwa a spoiler, saying:

He does take a certain number of votes, and to that extent, he is a spoiler. I believe he's, ultimately, irrelevant, because he's not a viable candidate and I don't think people are gonna throw away their vote."

The Republican nominee, however, rejects the “spoiler” label, especially since Cuomo has already had his chance to beat Mamdani. “I represent a major party line. Councilmen, judges – they put their heart and soul into it. They support me,” he said. 

I have more donations than Andrew Cuomo does, matching funds. You know something? This is called ‘voting.’ Since when do we not let people vote? Billionaires determine the next mayor?”

Sliwa also said in the same interview that if Cuomo wants voters, he should spend his money trying to convince New Yorkers to support him. He added that if Cuomo wants his voters, then he needs to convert them instead of relying on a major party nominee to drop out.

“How dare you, people who know nothing about politics, suggest that everybody who’s going to vote for me is suddenly gonna be ‘reborn,’” he remarked, implying that his voters are not going to suddenly fall in love with Cuomo because he is out.

This is at the heart of the “spoiler” argument. It’s a way for candidates to separate themselves from any accountability for not getting enough votes to win by insisting that a choice on the ballot be removed rather than try to win over that candidate’s voters.

Voters have witnessed both major parties do this to third party candidates. (e.g. Jill Stein and Gary Johnson in 2016)

And yet, there is little evidence to support it. It is just as likely that Sliwa voters, most of whom are Republicans, would stay home rather than vote for a Democrat they don’t support. Now, imagine how these voters feel after Sliwa says people have tried to bribe him to drop out.

He has even accused Cuomo of trying to bribe him. 

Though evidence has yet to be offered to support this claim, Sliwa stands by it and if his supporters believe it, how motivated would they be to vote for the person who pressured their candidate out of the race?

If RCV was used in the general election as it is used in the primary, then it would be harder to make the claim that any candidate is a “spoiler” or should drop out since voters would be able to rank candidates in order of preference.

A candidate can win outright only if they get over 50% of first-choice selections. Failure by any candidate to do so would result in the last place candidate being eliminated and their voters’ next selection being applied to the vote tabulation.

It is a way to determine how voters would cast their ballots in the event that their preferred candidate was not in the race. Curiously enough, with how much fun Mamdani supporters are having with Sliwa, it would be interesting to see how many would rank him second.

To be clear, there is no “hand holding” between Mamdani and Sliwa. They exist at polar opposites of the political spectrum and neither has shied away from criticizing the other’s point of view. Sliwa even says Mamdani and Cuomo are essentially cut from the same cloth.

But many voters may find it refreshing to hear a candidate say that if their opponent wins, it won’t be the end of the world.

“We have had socialists in elected office. We have had communists in the city council,” Sliwa said. “Somehow life went on. We survived it. It’s part of the political process. I don’t fear socialists. I don’t fear communists. I say, leave it to the people.”