Republican mayoral candidate, Curtis Sliwa, holding his cat Gizmo, removes his beret while speaking before voting on the Upper West Side on November 2, 2021 in New York City.
Republican New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa (left) and his cat Gizmo (center).
Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
  • Right until the end of the New York City mayoral race, Curtis Sliwa kept grabbing attention.
  • Sliwa, the Republican nominee, has 17 cats and slim chances of winning.
  • One of his cats, Gizmo, got the nod to join him making the rounds on Election Day.

In a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by roughly eight-to-one, GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa has found creative ways to keep the mayoral race interesting, culminating in an Election Day photo-op with one of his 17 cats.

Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder who started the campaign with 15 cats in his Upper West Side apartment, paraded his cat Gizmo in a red blanket as he made his way to the polls on Tuesday. He's since added two more cats to his home.

The Republican nominee faces off against Democratic nominee Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, who eked out a victory in the ranked-choice Democratic primary back in June.

Despite being hit by a taxi cab last week, Sliwa managed to carry Gizmo and keep the kitten bundled up while his other arm remained in a sling.

"I have a feeling this cab driver and others thought that I was dead," Sliwa said of the accident, which left him with a fractured left arm, according to the New York Post.

Sliwa has been running on promises to reduce violent crime and reduce city government, as well as rolling back the Big Apple's vaccine mandate for city employees and indoor dining.

He and Adams sparred in the final debate, with both trading personal attacks and other barbs after an otherwise low key general election campaign.

Polls close at 9 p.m. ET. Results will be updated as votes are counted with Insider's partners at Decision Desk HQ.

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