Curtis Sliwa

Curtis Anthony Sliwa was born on March 26, 1954, into a Catholic family of Polish and Italian descent, in Canarsie, Brooklyn. His mother, Francesca, identified as Italian-American. His father, Chester Sliwa, was a merchant seaman from Chicago who served in the United States Merchant Marine for 46 years. Both of Chester's parents, Anton and Wanda, were immigrant dairy farmers from Limanowa, Poland, with the original surname spelled Śliwa. Sliwa has two sisters, Aleta and Maria. Sliwa attended St. Matthew's in Crown Heights, and P.S. 114 and Bildersee Junior High School, both in Canarsie. He later attended Brooklyn Preparatory School, a Jesuit high school, where he was class president. Sliwa was expelled from Brooklyn Prep for student activism, after leading protests against the school's dress code. In his youth, he worked as a delivery boy for the Daily News, where he was awarded the title of "Newsboy of the Year" in 1979 and a trip to the White House after he saved several people from a burning building while on a paper route. ==Guardian Angels==

in Miami Metrorail, 2001 In May 1977, Sliwa created the "Magnificent 13", a civilian group dedicated to combating violence and crime on the New York City Subway. At the time, the city was experiencing a crime wave. The Magnificent 13 grew and was renamed the Guardian Angels in 1979. The group's actions drew strong reactions, both positive and negative. Most of the Guardian Angels members were either Black or Hispanic. Unarmed, the group required members to train in karate and learn the legal requirements for citizens' arrest before being deployed. Sliwa's red beret is a component of the Guardian Angels' uniform. In 1981, then-Mayor Ed Koch, a critic of Sliwa and the organization, launched an investigation into the Guardian Angels, which, according to The Washington Post, proved "so positive that the Guardian Angels will soon be awarded some sort of official status." Then-Lieutenant Governor Mario Cuomo was a rare early advocate of the organization, being quoted saying "[t]hey are a better expression of morality than our city deserves". One incident involved Guardian Angels member Frank Melvin, who was fatally shot in New Jersey by a Newark police officer in December 1981 after an officer claimed they mistook his unzipping of his jacket – to display his Guardian Angels emblem – as a threat. Sliwa claimed that the killing of Melvin – an African American – was racially motivated, and had been done by a white officer who was being protected by the police department, rather than by the Hispanic officer identified as the shooter. An Essex County grand jury cleared both officers of charges related to Melvin's death.In late November 1992, Sliwa admitted that he and the Guardian Angels faked six early incidents for publicity. He admitted to having faked an injury while fighting rapists, the rescue of a mugging victim, and a false allegation that three off-duty transit police officers had kidnapped him. Sliwa explained at the time his stunts were intended to underscore the dangers of the subways. When the Guardian Angels first began patrolling the streets and subways, New York City was experiencing some of its highest crime rates. "I feel the incidents we staged led to some improvements," he said. 1992 baseball bat attack In April 1992, Sliwa was assaulted outside his Lower East Side home. He was struck by three men, two dozen times, with baseball bats. Sliwa suffered a broken wrist and head injuries from the assault. Prosecutors later argued that John A. Gotti was behind the attack, presenting evidence in court. (middle) in a Federal Bureau of Investigation surveillance photo Federal prosecutors eventually charged John A. Gotti, the son of Gambino crime family leader John Gotti, with attempted murder and racketeering. Prosecutors claimed that Gotti was angered by remarks Sliwa had made about Gotti's father on his radio program. After three attempts to try him, on September 20, 2005, three separate juries could not agree to convict Gotti on any of the charges brought against him, and the charges were dropped. Jurors later told reporters they believed he had a role in Sliwa's shooting. Prosecutors declined to re-try Gotti and dismissed the charges against him. Sliwa said he would seek damages in civil court. Michael Yannotti, a Gotti associate, was also charged with shooting Sliwa in the incident but was acquitted. 2020 clash with looters In June 2020, during a riot in the SoHo neighborhood following the murder of George Floyd, Sliwa and several Guardian Angels engaged in a clash with looters while trying to prevent them from robbing a Foot Locker store. Roughly 300 looters were present, variously armed with baseball bats, claw hammers, lock cutters, and machetes. ==Media career==

(left) with U.S. Representative Gary Ackerman (center) in 2005 Sliwa has been a radio broadcaster for three decades, most of that time on WABC-AM, where he began his career in 1990. In 1994, the then city-owned and operated WNYC hired Sliwa, whom WABC had released. Some, including Sliwa, have suggested that he was given access to the station by newly elected Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whom he had supported in the 1993 mayoral race. As a political conservative, Sliwa has hosted various radio talk shows on WABC since 1996. His longtime broadcast partner was lawyer Ron Kuby, with whom he hosted the "Curtis & Kuby" weekday radio show at noon on WABC-AM in New York City. In 2000, Sliwa and Kuby became the co-hosts of the long-running Curtis and Kuby in the Morning, which lasted eight years before Citadel Broadcasting replaced them with Don Imus. The Curtis Sliwa LIVE program began national syndication on December 1, 2008. WABC retained Sliwa until November 2009, when his show was cancelled after a contract dispute. He hosted both the morning and evening "drive time" shows on WNYM-AM 970, but as of January 2, 2014, Sliwa returned to WABC, replacing Rush Limbaugh, who moved to WOR-AM. Starting in June 2017, Sliwa's co-host was attorney and television commentator, Eboni Williams. His most recent co-host was Juliet Huddy, who joined the show in February 2019. In April 2018, Sliwa's radio show was temporarily suspended after making lewd comments about Democratic city-council member Melissa Mark-Viverito. He described Mark-Viverito as "extraordinarily hot" and said that he has fantasized about having sex with her. Sliwa also added "Melissa I'm [your] papi, right?"; while also claiming he had sex with three other members of the City Council. Mark-Viverito criticized Sliwa on Twitter, attacking him as sexist. After officially declaring his candidacy in March 2021, Sliwa's radio program went on hiatus. His programs once again went on hiatus upon the announcement of his second candidacy in February 2025. In October 2025, Sliwa and John Catsimatidis, WABC-AM's owner, got into a heated on-air shouting match. Catsimatidis repeated his calls for Sliwa to drop out of the 2025 NYC mayoral election, in order to help boost Andrew Cuomo's chances of beating Zohran Mamdani in the election. This led to Sliwa attacking the station and immediately quitting WABC. Sliwa told Sid Rosenberg, "You will never see me in the studios of WABC again. Never. No matter how this election turns out". ==Political career==

In 2007, Sliwa announced an intention to reinvigorate New York City's Republican party, and possibly run for office. In 2013, Sliwa endorsed Republican candidate John Catsimatidis for mayor. In September 2016, Sliwa and Frank Morano launched a successful hostile takeover of the Reform Party of New York State. The Party lost its ballot access in the November 2018 elections. 2021 mayoral campaign Sliwa announced on March 8, 2020, that he would run for mayor of New York City in 2021 as a Republican. The primary race turned Sliwa and Fernando Mateo, once friends, into bitter rivals. The Manhattan, Queens, and Bronx Republican parties endorsed Mateo, while the Staten Island and Brooklyn Republican parties endorsed Sliwa. During the campaign, Mateo and Sliwa clashed over loyalty to former president Donald Trump. Mateo voiced support for Trump's claim that he won the 2020 presidential election; and does not support Trump's election denial. Sliwa ran on a platform opposing the defund the police movement, supporting a property tax overhaul so that working-class residents would not pay higher property taxes than wealthy citizens, keeping in place the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test while increasing opportunities for vocational training in charter schools, and focusing on fiscal restraint. He also opposed the killing of unwanted animals and supported making all animal shelters no-kill shelters, pointing to his own home life with 16 cats. Sliwa campaigned on beginning a trial program to test out the feasibility of universal basic income in New York City. Sliwa lost to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in a landslide defeat in the general election on November 2, 2021, with Adams winning just over two-thirds of the votes. Sliwa conceded that same night, calling for unity in order to save New York City. After his loss, he brought two cats outside the Brooklyn home of Adams in January 2023, after the latter had been fined for rodent violations, and suggested that feral cats could address the rodent problem in the city. 2025 mayoral campaign On February 13, 2025, Sliwa announced his candidacy to run for mayor of New York City in 2025, again as a Republican. During his candidacy, he apologized for past statements regarding the city's Hasidic population and criticized ICE's detainments of immigrants coming to courthouses for appointments and deportation without due process: "everybody gets due process in the United States." A mid-July 2025 poll of registered NYC voters found Sliwa coming in third, with 13%. The pattern continued into early September, with Sliwa placing third, after Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, but ahead of incumbent mayor Eric Adams. Throughout the election, Sliwa rejected calls for him to exit the race in order to help defeat Mamdani, including pressure from Trump and, Sliwa said, from billionaires who had offered to pay him to drop out. In spite of strong opposition from various billionaires and national Republicans to stay in the race, Sliwa received support from most GOP leaders in the five boroughs. In response to Andrew Cuomo calling Sliwa a "spoiler" and saying that "Curtis will make Mamdani a winner", Sliwa stated, "I suggest Andrew Cuomo come off his high horse. If he wants to win this election, go out and campaign for your voters." It was debated whether or not Sliwa ending his campaign would have helped in boosting Cuomo's campaign and defeating Zohran Mamdani. An AARP poll conducted in October showed Cuomo with 41% against Mamdani's 44% if Sliwa were to step aside, within the poll's margin of error. A spokesperson for the Sliwa campaign has said, "The overwhelming majority of Sliwa supporters would not touch Andrew Cuomo with a ten-foot pole." Sliwa received 7% of the vote, placing behind both Cuomo, and Mamdani who won the election with over 51% of the vote. ==Political positions==

Sliwa is considered a populist Republican unaffiliated with the MAGA movement. He supports ranked-choice voting, pro-choice stances, gun control, and is sympathetic to the idea of implementing universal basic income in New York City. He opposes vaccine mandates, critical race theory, congestion pricing, and sanctuary cities. Sliwa is a staunch supporter of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Sliwa additionally is against the closing of Rikers Island's prison facilities, which the New York City Council voted for in 2019. Sliwa has campaigned on converting the tens of thousands of vacant rent-controlled apartments and commercial spaces in New York City into affordable housing, as opposed to building further units. He is in favor of school choice and expanding access to charter schools in the city, in addition to prioritizing job-readiness and financial literacy throughout city classrooms. Throughout time, Sliwa has gone back and forth in his opinions on President Donald Trump, saying he has a "love-hate relationship" with him. The two men have known each other for decades as prominent New York City conservatives. In 2013, Sliwa had Trump as a guest on his WABC radio program. In December 2019, Sliwa declared in an interview that Trump was a "screwball and a crackpot". In February 2021, weeks after Trump left office, Sliwa switched his registration from the New York Reform Party back to the Republican Party. Sliwa has stated that he did not vote for Trump in the 2016 or 2020 presidential elections. He did vote for Trump in 2024. In the 2025 campaign, he has said, "[Trump] should stay out of [New York politics]", choosing to run a localized and grassroots campaign. Trump himself has never endorsed Sliwa, referring to him during the 2025 campaign as "not exactly prime-time", and instead endorsed Andrew Cuomo for mayor. In August 2025, he criticized Mayor Eric Adams for failing to solve the city's rat problem, despite Adams having appointed a "rat czar" in 2023. Sliwa suggested that feral cats let loose in the city would be a more effective way of dealing with rats than the current methods employed. He also said that he would convert Gracie Mansion to a home for animals on death row. Anti-illegal immigration rallies and apprehension In late August 2023, Sliwa, along with four other organizers, were arrested after an anti-illegal immigration rally outside Gracie Mansion. Police issued a desk appearance ticket on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and obstruction, but the Manhattan district attorney's office declined to prosecute. Sliwa had been arrested at several previous rallies. As of 2023, Sliwa has been arrested 77 times. during a segment on Fox News. The man was issued a summons for disorderly conduct, as police described him as "acting in a loud and threatening manner on a public sidewalk". No Guardian Angels were charged in regard to the incident. ==Personal life==

gathering in July 2006 Sliwa is a Catholic, while his two sons with Melinda Katz are Jewish. Sliwa is a noted animal lover; he has cared for as many as 17 cats, but as of September 2025 was down to 6. During his 2025 mayoral campaign, he said he believed there was an underestimated population of animal-loving voters in New York City who his mayoral candidacy would resonate with. Sliwa has competed in multiple eating contests. In 1994, Sliwa won the Carnegie Deli's annual sour pickle-eating contest, becoming world champion. Sliwa has also competed in Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, ranking third in both 1994 and 1996, eating 13 hot dogs both times. In 2010, Sliwa was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he announced publicly in April 2011. That September, he underwent robotic surgery and had the cancer removed. Relationships Sliwa has been married five times. Koren Drayton Sliwa wed his first wife, Koren Drayton, in 1975. The couple divorced just one year later. Little is publicly known about Drayton, other that she is Caribbean-American, was from the Virgin Islands, and lived in Brownsville. Sliwa has stated that he has not spoken to Drayton since their divorce. Lisa Evers Sliwa wed his second wife, Lisa Evers, on Christmas Eve 1981. He became infatuated with her after she accidentally broke his foot and dislocated his knee at Guardian Angel demonstrations. They divorced in 1994; Sliwa has stated that their relationship began to fall apart following Gotti's attempted assassination on his life. and co-hosted a WABC-AM radio show called Angels in the Morning. She is also a martial arts expert, holding a black belt in Karate, Mary Paterson In 2000, Sliwa married his third wife, Mary (née Galda), a former WABC employee who also served as the Guardian Angels' national director. They have one son, Anthony, born circa 2004. They divorced in 2012, after she accused him of infidelity. Sliwa and Paterson have both stated that they have kept in contact following their divorce, and maintain a good relationship. In court documents, Sliwa's ex-wife, Mary, accused him of diverting money to Katz while still married to Mary, as part of a plan to build a "nest egg" with Katz prior to moving in with her. Nancy Regula On July5, 2018, Sliwa wed his longtime girlfriend, animal activist and attorney Nancy Regula, at the Howe Caverns. Regula is a licensed attorney, animal rights activist, member of the Guardian Angels, and political candidate. In 2018, she was the Reform candidate for New York Attorney general election; ==Filmography==

Acting roles In popular culture • ''We're Fighting Back'' (1981): A TV movie from Lou Antonio, loosely inspired by Sliwa and the Guardian Angels. Sliwa was unhappy with the film, and unsuccessfully filed a lawsuit against Highway Pictures for $5 million. He described the film as "materially false, fabricated and misleading." • Vigilante: The Incredible True Story of Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels (2018): A documentary covering Sliwa's life in the Guardian Angels. • Saturday Night Live - Season 51, Episode 4 (2025): Comedian Shane Gillis portrays Sliwa in a sketch. • Paging Dr Cliwa (2026): A comedy skit, created by the New York Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, for April Fools Day. Where Curtis Sliwa played Dr Shurtis Cliwa. ==Electoral history==