Giuliani endorses Republican Curtis Sliwa for NYC mayor

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) endorsed GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa in New York City’s upcoming mayoral primary.

Giuliani, former President Trump’s personal attorney, in a taped message sent to Republican voters called Sliwa a “great friend” and noted that the Guardian Angels, an unarmed, volunteer crime prevention organization that Sliwa founded, helped him in his own mayoral bid.

“I’m voting for Curtis Sliwa and asking you to do the same,” Giuliani said.

The endorsement comes ahead of the June 22 primaries for both parties in the mayoral race. Sliwa, who is also a radio talk show host, is running against Fernando Mateo, the founder of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers.

Sliwa’s campaign has been centered around crime reduction, and he says he would hire 3,000 more police officers.

It is unclear how helpful an endorsement from Giuliani would be in the mayoral primary. While Giuliani was widely hailed for his work helping New York City as mayor after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he has become an increasingly polarizing figure due to his proximity to Trump.

The former mayor is under criminal investigation over his dealings with Ukraine when he tried to dig up dirt on now-President Biden during the 2020 White House race. 

Regardless of who wins the GOP primary later this month, Democrats are broadly expected to keep the mayoralty given New York City’s deep blue hue.