‘ARREST ME!’: NYC Candidate Curtis Sliwa Tried Bringing His Cat to a Polling Site and Somehow That Wasn’t the Craziest Part of It

Michael LucianoNov 2nd, 2021, 5:38 pm
 
Curtis Sliwa speaking with reporters

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate for mayor of New York, tried casting his vote on the Upper West Side on Tuesday while accompanied by his cat Gizmo.

Then it got weird.

The New York Times reported that Sliwa was “irate,” and loudly bickered with poll workers. After being asked to remove his jacket that had his name on it, which is apparently considered unlawful campaigning at the polling site, the candidate shouted, “Arrest me!

After catsing his vote, he placed his ballot in the machine and it promptly jammed. It needed to be repaired. Also, “An election worker hurled an expletive at Mr. Sliwa while asking him to leave,” said the Times.

Later, the founder of the Guardian Angels complained, “They couldn’t have been more hostile.”

Sliwa lives with Gizmo and 16 other cats in his Upper West Side studio apartment. “Gizmo was on the kill list,” he said. “Thank God my wife was able to save Gizmo.”

Also, the Republican’s left arm was in a sling because on Friday he was hit by a taxi. “I’m in a lot of pain,” he said outside the polling station.

Sliwa encouraged supporters to go out and vote and made no mention of the brouhaha.

“I just finished voting,” he said in a video posted to Twitter. You have to vote too. If you don’t vote, I have no chance of winning.”

Sliwa is squaring off against Brooklyn Borough president and former NYPD officer Eric Adams, who is expected to win handily.

Tags:
Michael Luciano - Senior Editor

Mike is a Mediaite senior editor who covers the news in primetime. Follow him on Bluesky.