New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa (R) attempted to bring one of his cats with him to vote on Tuesday.
Sliwa, who has 17 cats and has made animal welfare part of his campaign, fought with election officials after being denied entry to the polling place on the Upper West Side, The New York Times reported. The mayoral candidate was heard shouting, “arrest me,” at officials.
Sliwa ended up leaving his cat, Gizmo, with a staffer while he entered Frank McCourt High School to vote, according to The Times. After being let in, Sliwa’s ballot jammed in the scanning machine, which had to be repaired, The Times noted. An election worker then shouted an expletive at Sliwa while telling him to leave.
“They couldn’t have been more hostile,” Sliwa, a founder of the Guardian Angels, said as he exited the high school, The Times reported.
Sliwa, who wore a sling on his left arm, told The Times he was still in pain from being hit by a taxi last week but that he was more worried about city workers who were put on unpaid leave this week for not getting the vaccine.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (D) is the heavy favorite to win the mayoral race to replace New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) in a city dominated by the Democratic Party.
A poll from PIX11 NewsNation and Emerson College released last week showed 61 percent of likely voters supporting Adams, compared to 25 percent supporting Sliwa.