Conservatives on Staten Island are torn between voting for Andrew Cuomo or Curtis Sliwa in the upcoming NYC mayoral election. The district, traditionally Republican, has seen a significant number of voters supporting the two candidates, with some admitting to casting their ballots against their better judgment.
Cuomo, who is running as an independent Democrat, has been making appeals to Republican and right-leaning voters, including those in Staten Island. However, Sliwa, the GOP nominee, still has enough support in the district to be considered a spoiler candidate. According to some voters, Cuomo's candidacy is seen as a lesser evil compared to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, who they view as a communist.
For Nick Ponzio, a 62-year-old retired preschool and special education teacher, Sliwa's connection with him dates back to his teenage years when the Guardian Angels protected him from robbers. Despite knowing that Sliwa cannot win, Ponzio said he couldn't bring himself to vote for Mamdani.
Valerie Scotto, a 63-year-old billing controller, voted for Sliwa citing disagreements with Mamdani's policies and Cuomo's previous failed attempt at the governorship. Cuomo has won over some voters who saw him as the best option to block Mamdani's victory.
Sliwa also has the backing of local Republican leaders and several council members, including Frank Morano, who is running for re-election in this district. Morano stated that there's a lot of enthusiasm for Sliwa's campaign, noting that some voters may not typically participate in local elections but are now coming out due to the high stakes.
Meanwhile, Cuomo has won the support of some voters who see him as the better choice despite their reservations about his candidacy. John Cassidy, a 62-year-old retired NYPD detective, said he voted for Cuomo because Mamdani is a communist and Cuomo was the lesser evil.
Cuomo's campaign manager, Rich Azzopardi, has emphasized that voting for Sliwa is essentially a vote for Mamdani, implying that it would amount to "wasting" one's ballot. However, Sliwa's spokesperson, Daniel Kurzyna, disputed this claim, stating that Cuomo is trying to deceive voters and that the truth is clear: Sliwa will win.
In the end, while Cuomo may have won over some conservative voters in Staten Island, Sliwa remains a strong contender in the district.
Cuomo, who is running as an independent Democrat, has been making appeals to Republican and right-leaning voters, including those in Staten Island. However, Sliwa, the GOP nominee, still has enough support in the district to be considered a spoiler candidate. According to some voters, Cuomo's candidacy is seen as a lesser evil compared to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, who they view as a communist.
For Nick Ponzio, a 62-year-old retired preschool and special education teacher, Sliwa's connection with him dates back to his teenage years when the Guardian Angels protected him from robbers. Despite knowing that Sliwa cannot win, Ponzio said he couldn't bring himself to vote for Mamdani.
Valerie Scotto, a 63-year-old billing controller, voted for Sliwa citing disagreements with Mamdani's policies and Cuomo's previous failed attempt at the governorship. Cuomo has won over some voters who saw him as the best option to block Mamdani's victory.
Sliwa also has the backing of local Republican leaders and several council members, including Frank Morano, who is running for re-election in this district. Morano stated that there's a lot of enthusiasm for Sliwa's campaign, noting that some voters may not typically participate in local elections but are now coming out due to the high stakes.
Meanwhile, Cuomo has won the support of some voters who see him as the better choice despite their reservations about his candidacy. John Cassidy, a 62-year-old retired NYPD detective, said he voted for Cuomo because Mamdani is a communist and Cuomo was the lesser evil.
Cuomo's campaign manager, Rich Azzopardi, has emphasized that voting for Sliwa is essentially a vote for Mamdani, implying that it would amount to "wasting" one's ballot. However, Sliwa's spokesperson, Daniel Kurzyna, disputed this claim, stating that Cuomo is trying to deceive voters and that the truth is clear: Sliwa will win.
In the end, while Cuomo may have won over some conservative voters in Staten Island, Sliwa remains a strong contender in the district.
They're trying to send a message without really committing to one candidate. I've got friends who are voting for Cuomo just because they don't want Mamdani to win, but at the same time, some people are still holding out for Sliwa. It's like they're trying to keep their options open... or maybe they're just enjoying the drama 
Either way, it's definitely making for an interesting election!
with all these candidates running around. I'm not even gonna get into politics here, but it's clear that Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa are having some intense battles for votes. On one hand, you got Cuomo trying to win over the Republicans and right-leaning folks, while on the other side, Sliwa is keeping it real with his Guardian Angels connection 
. I think what's most interesting is how voters in Staten Island are having to weigh their options - like, Nick Ponzio just can't bring himself to vote for Zohran Mamdani even though he knows he won't win 
.
. Cuomo's team trying to paint Sliwa as a spoiler candidate just isn't flying with voters, it seems like 
. Ultimately, Staten Island is gonna be the key to figuring out who wins this election - it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out 
!
Staten Island is literally being split in two rn... I mean, can't they just make up their minds already? 
Cuomo's trying to appeal to the Republicans but Sliwa's still got some serious juice going on. It's like, okay Andrew, you're running as an indie Dem, but if you wanna win, gotta do better than this 
And don't even get me started on Mamdani, sounds like a total communist 
. I mean, who votes for someone they think is gonna ruin the country? 
. And on the other hand, Sliwa has a lot of support from people who are voting for him because they don't want Mamdani to win... which is fair, I guess 
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. Like, come on! It's not that simple. People have their own reasons for voting for Sliwa, and it's not just because they're right-wing or anything like that 
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. Can't wait to see how it all plays out!
. I mean Cuomo's making some good points, but let's be real, he's still a bit of a polarizing figure 
. Maybe Sliwa's the lesser evil or whatever 
, but it's also super interesting that local reps are all about him 
... like, what's going on there? 
. And honestly, I dunno who's better choice is... both sides got their pros and cons.
. It's like he's trying to have your cake and eat it too - win over some conservative voters while still being seen as a Democrat. I'm just not sure if this will ultimately backfire or pay off for him.
.