2025 New York City Mayoral Election
Which mayoral candidates have an NYPD security detail?
During a time of heightened political violence, Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is using an NYPD security detail. Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa has made a point of declining one.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani visits Roosevelt Island, flanked by a member of his security detail. Annie McDonough
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani has one. Repeat Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa says he’s rejected one. The New York City Police Department provides security details to more than just the mayor of New York City. In some cases, even candidates for political office can get the protection of an NYPD detail – a team of two officers traveling with the candidate, including sometimes driving them.
That includes Mamdani, the front-runner in this November’s mayoral race, who has faced threats during and since the Democratic primary. Back in the spring, his campaign hired private security in light of those threats, but that role is now being filled by an NYPD detail. Earlier this month, a Texas man was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats against Mamdani over June and July.
Sliwa, who was also the Republican nominee in 2021, made a point of publicly declining an NYPD detail that year, saying that there already aren’t enough cops for regular patrol. Asked last week, Sliwa said that he still is not using a detail as the party’s nominee this year, though he said that “major party candidates are entitled to it.”
The NYPD’s public information office said that mayoral candidates “do not typically receive security details,” but that a detail will be provided when there is “a significant threat assessment against a certain candidate.” The office did not respond to follow-up questions about which candidates that included this year, or about assertions made by some of the campaigns and in previous reporting that security details are typically provided to major party nominees.
Campaigns themselves are generally reluctant to discuss the specifics of their security protocols. Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, confirmed that the former governor does not have an NYPD detail and has not requested one, though they said he’s received threats over the course of the campaign. Azzopardi declined to comment on whether they ever use private security.
Adams, who is running for reelection as an independent but polling behind Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa, has an NYPD detail as mayor.