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Curtis Sliwa, long known in New York City as founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime group, scored a big victory Tuesday night in the city’s Republican mayoral primary.
With results in from more than 82% of districts, Sliwa had collected 23,698 votes, or support from more than 69% of the city’s GOP voters, the New York Post reported.
"Curtis won and we want to unite the Republican Party and we hope Fernando Mateo will join us," Sliwa campaign adviser Rob Cole told the Post, referring to Sliwa’s top GOP competitor.
During a campaign event in April, Sliwa called for refunding the city's police department by restoring $1 billion that the city council had shifted from police to education and social services programs.
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Mateo, a restaurant owner and advocate for bodega owners and taxi drivers, collected 9,292 votes, or 27% of those counted so far, the report said.
Curtis Sliwa founded "Guardian Angels" in the 1970s.
Sliwa, 67, a native of the city, first gained attention in May 1977, when he formed the Magnificent 13, a group that later became the Guardian Angels. As the city struggled with crime in that era, members of Sliwa’s group would fan out across the city, in parks and on subways, in hopes of deterring crime.
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The Republican’s mayoral run received endorsements from former GOP Mayor Rudy Giuliani and U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, the only member of Congress from New York City who is a Republican, the Post reported.
On the Democrat side, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams appeared to be leading early Wednesday but final results were expected to remain unclear, possibly for weeks, The Associated Press reported.
Current Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, was barred from seeking a third term because of the city’s term limit law.