Wealthy donors should not be allowed to bribe or pressure mayoral candidates to drop out of an election. Candidates have an ethical duty not to accept or entertain such offers, regardless of how tempting they may be.
On Sept. 25, during the ongoing NYC mayoral race, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa alleged that wealthy donors aligned with Andrew Cuomo offered him bribes to end his campaign.
In an interview with NBC News, Sliwa claimed that billionaires offered him millions and that he would begin recording conversations as evidence.
He called the offers unethical and illegal.
According to Spectrum News, some of these donors allegedly promised Sliwa cash and jobs if he would “help clear the field.”
Sliwa’s boss – WABC radio owner John Catsimatidis – among others, have also publicly urged him to quit for the good of the city.
Coercion and bribery have no place in a fair election, especially one that affects over eight million New Yorkers.
As Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani told CNN, “It’s time for New Yorkers to make this decision, not for billionaire donors to determine who gets to run in this city.”
Recent polling published by AARP suggests that if Sliwa were to drop out of the race, Cuomo would gain the most ground, narrowing Mamdani’s double digit lead to a mere four points.
As of Oct. 25, campaign finance records show that Mamdani has raised close to $13 million in public funds. Cuomo has received a little over $7 million in funding, and Sliwa gained around $4.4 million.
While donations have played a big role in this election, bribery and political coercion are illegal under federal law. But these laws only prohibit the intimidation of federal employees and do not cover former elected officials like Cuomo or local mayoral candidates.
Anyone attempting to influence local elections through bribery should be held to the same standards as the federal guidelines. New Yorkers deserve clear updates on the progress of investigations and the consequences if a candidate is found guilty.
The local Finance Board and the federal government should ensure that all illegal methods that interfere or prevent a fair election process are stopped in their tracks. Protecting democracy in NYC means protecting voters’ rights to choose their leaders freely.
