Paws and Pals: From 'scary streets to safety'

Essex County breast cancer survivor supports women in treatment

Coastal storm to impact New Jersey Sunday and Monday

Woman fatally struck by car while crossing street in Hamilton

14-year-old charged in deadly Mount Holly shooting

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Welcome back to this special edition of Power and Politics. I'm Tara Rosenblum. While Zilon Mamdani might be dominating the headlines, Curtis Lewa says this race is far from over. The Republican nominee for New York City mayor is challenging the polls, blasting his opponent and making the case why he's the one who could stop a far left takeover of City Hall. You have called your opponents. Moving chairs on the Titanic, right, but with your polling currently still stuck in the teens, how do you convince voters that your own campaign isn't one of those chairs? Well, more importantly, how do you convince the mayor, Eric Adams to stay in? I'm polling 3. He's polling last, even in his own poll that he paid for. So the reality is that if you look at my Republican base. You looked at, I had a lot of uh moderate Democrats and independents. The last time I got 28%. I expect to start from there. You get a few more percentage points, you're talking to the next mayor of the city of New York. I would cut the taxes. There would be no congestion pricing. None of the other candidates are in agreement with that. They actually are more in agreement on issues than you would think they would be. A number of Trump allies and Main Street Democrats though are calling for you and others to step aside and consolidate the anti-Mandani vote. You have said though that you'll only leave this race in a coffin. Do you still feel that way, or have you softened at all on this issue? First off, pragmatically, the time to have done that passed two weeks ago. You would have to give back all your matching funds if you drop out. Number 2, you're still on the ballot. It can't be done. We're all on the ballot. Let's let the people decide. Yes, you're all on the ballot no matter what, but it doesn't mean that everyone's going to be. campaigning. So let's just say, I mean, I've heard rumblings. What if you were offered a federal job or an appointment? Would you still say I'm 100% staying in? That's a rumor floated by Eric Adams himself, and I can tell you if the president called me respectfully, I would say. Mr. Trump, I have only one interest and one job, and that's being the mayor because you mentioned President Trump. Let's get in a question for you about your relationship with him. I know you've described it as love hate. You voted for him in 2024. Not in 2020, and my colleague Amanda Bosser reminded me that you once referred to him as a screwball and a crackpot. You say you'd actively or that you would welcome his endorsement. Are you actively seeking it out? You know, JD Vance called him Hitler. He's now vice president of the United States. There's been a lot of name calling back and forth. I've had a love-hate relationship. I respect the president, but there are things I disagree with him on. But I'm a person as a real New Yorker and say Donald, you're a real New Yorker. You know this is going to hurt New York City, and I can't support you on this effort. As we were, you were answering, I don't know if you heard someone just ran by screaming Zoran for mayor. The question becomes if you stay in the race, Cuomo stays in the race, Adam stays in the race. Are you handing this election to Zoran? Wait a second. I have people who have invested in my election. I have people who want me to run. I'm in the same neighborhoods as OA. I'm in the Lower East Side where he won 72%. I'm in Long Island City. I have the, the millennials. I have the Gen Z's. I don't, uh, I don't, uh, accuse them of being slackers and deadbeats and lazy and not being intelligent. You have to cater to them because there are many of them who will not vote for the socialist Zohan, so you get them over to your side. Speaking of the millennials and Gen Z, we just learned this week, right, that Zoran became the candidate who's earned the most primary votes in New York City history. That was largely due to his support with Gen Z and millennials. So how would you plan to win over that vote or more of that key voting bloc? Well, first off, an act of God also kicked in. What have you heard of 102 degree weather on election day. So people who were 55 plus who normally would have come out, stayed home, and they also assumed based on the polls that Cuomo was going to have a coronation. This time people realize everywhere I go my vote counts. You got to get the millennials and Gen Zs, which I have in my campaign. Well, one key way that we know he did that was. Through an unbelievable social media campaign and his messaging online, he has several million followers. Your social media is in the thousands. You've said that doesn't matter. How do you beat someone who's dominating the online sphere? Well, what should we all do? Give up, wave the white flag? Hey, Zo on, come in, turn New York City into a socialist enclave, go after all the Jews, bring in the fanatics. I'm the real New Yorker. I was born in this city. I'm going to die in this city and I'll be damned if I'm going to let Zohan and his ideology rule. He also wants to create a public safety agency outside of the NYPD. You have called that a very, very dangerous proposal. What do you think the implications of that interviewed Jon, right? I did, and he had armed security. He did. Well, well, sanctimonious hypocrite. Have social workers for the people to protect them, but for him have off duty armed NYPD officers. Do you see any security for me? There are lawmakers, as I'm sure you're well aware, from Long Island all the way out to Rockland County and beyond who say that the outcome of this general election will change life for people well beyond the. 5 boroughs. So with him ahead in the polls, do you agree with that? Madani will destroy New York City, which is the epicenter of not only the world but the epicenter of the United States, and it is critical to all of the suburban counties because so many of their people are they're living here. They come to shows here, they shop here, but that will all end. What do you think the most dramatic tangible impact would be? in counties like Westchester and Long Island, the most tangible thing is it will be a boon to their own economy because people will stay there, go to their restaurants, their theaters. If things don't go your way on election day, would this be your political curtain call, or might we expect to see your name on the ballot again in, let's say 2029? Well, you know, I'm going to be here as the leader of the Guardian Angels. Secondarily, I'm a New Yorker through and through. Eric Adams could either go back to Fort Lee, where he's from, or take a job with the White House. We know where Andrew Cuomo will be, the Hamptons, and Zoran Mandami, if he's lucky enough to become mayor, he will measure the drapes of Gracie Mansion, and then I'll continue to be his worst nightmare because I ain't going nowhere.

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Welcome back. I'm Tara Rosenblum. Right now, Curtis Lean and Zoran Mamdani are not the only candidates in the running for New York City mayor. So let's take a closer look at who else could shake up this race. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo is still considering an independent bid for mayor. I spoke to him one on one just before his primary. Knight lost to Mamdani and asked what issue would define his campaign. What is the single biggest ticket item that you would champion and fight the hardest for should you win this seat? Priority one is restore the sense of public safety. Safety is job one because safety is #1 for people. They are not going to stay, Tara, if they don't feel safe. Number 2 is affordability. Uh, it has to be more affordable and that's primarily affordable housing because you have to have the affordable housing to continue to have the young people come to New York because the talent comes to New York and that brings the businesses to New York. Uh, so that's, that's, uh, number 2. After federal corruption charges against him were dropped, current Mayor Eric Adams launched a re-election bid this time as an independent. He laid out his priorities in an interview with my News 12 colleague Amanda Bossert. I'm still a Democrat, you know, anytime people hear independent, they feel as though that you, you, you're switching your party. I'm still. Democrat, but I'm creating a line of affordable and safe because those are the two issues I hear all the time and I'm going to do so. We collected 25,000 tickets to be in the Democratic primary. It's just too too long to do what the independent, uh, person stated to drop the case. It took too long now we have. an opportunity to go out and let New Yorkers that we would be on in November and that's crucial. And then there's the lesser known Brooklyn attorney Jim Walden, a first time candidate running on a corruption busting platform and a promise to create jobs. I have been a lawyer for almost 30 years, 23 years in private practice, 9 years as a prosecutor, and in that period of time I could have run for office any time. But I chose a different path. I was a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York and I prosecuted cases against the mob. I don't need to hold elective office, and I'm not sure that my opponents or many of my opponents could say the same thing. This is the job of politics is what they chose. They've gone from job to job. At least a couple of them really haven't known anything else, so the stakes in this New York City mayor's race couldn't be any higher. The outcome still anyone's game. I'm Tara Rosenblum. Thanks for joining us for this special edition of Power and Politics.

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News 12's senior political reporter Tara Rosenblum spoke with both candidates about their campaigns and the future of New York City. 

Power & Politics: 1-on-1 with NYC mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa

News 12's senior political reporter Tara Rosenblum spoke with both candidates about their campaigns and the future of New York City.

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