Former GOP Mayoral candidate and founder of the Guardian Angels Curtis Sliwa and fellow Republican stalwarts are planning a big GOP push into some of New York City’s most Socialist neighborhoods —including those represented by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Councilwoman Tiffany Caban.
“We’re going into the belly of the beast of the Democratic Socialists of America in New York City,” said Sliwa. “We’re going to take on AOC and Caban,” he added, referring to the prominent DSA members.
“This is Concord and Lexington,” said Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder, referring to the first two battles of the American Revolution. “We’re talking to regular people in Astoria. They don’t support defunding the police and defunding the jails.”
From The New York Post:
Sliwa vowed Republicans will run a candidate against Caban this year and AOC next year, with the goal of forming an alliance with moderate Democrats who believe the pols are out of touch on issues such as crime and taxes.
A generation ago, Astoria and Long Island City were populated by Greek and Italian immigrant homeowners and represented on the council by moderate-to-conservative Democrats Peter Vallone Sr. and Jr.
Since the younger Vallone left office in 2013, the area’s demographics have shifted as younger, college-educated and tech-savvy residents with left-leaning views have moved into the sleek new condos that have sprung up across the area.
The political earthquake struck Queens in 2018, when Ocasio-Cortez defeated Rep. Joe Crowley, the then-Queens Democratic leader, in the House primary. The DSA had arrived.
“Astoria and Western Queens is ground zero for the DSA and the AOC crowd. They keep winning races and defeating centrists,” said political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. “It’s hard to see Republicans winning there.
More over at The New York Post:
GOP moves in on Queens socialist turf to challenge AOC, Tiffany Caban https://t.co/4Fz4DLmKAp pic.twitter.com/gEa9Mc87P3
— New York Post (@nypost) February 21, 2023
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