— Republicans want billionaire John Catsimatidis to run for mayor of if embattled Mayor resigns from his current post and a special election follows. According to a New York GOP source, the city’s five county chairmen prefer Mr. Catsimatidis, over any other potential Republican looking to become the next mayor of the Big Apple.
Mr. Catsimatidis owns multiple businesses, including a chain of supermarkets in Manhattan and WABC radio station, where he hosts two political talk shows. He also heads up the Red Apple Group, a real estate and aviation company worth about $2 billion in holdings.
The businessman previously ran for mayor in 2013 but lost the GOP primary against former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joe Lhota. Some fellow Democrats are pressuring Mr. to resign from office after federal prosecutors charged him on Sept.
26. Mr. is accused of illegally courting foreign donors, particularly from Turkey, and of receiving over $100,000 in undisclosed benefits such as upgraded flights and luxury hotel stays.
In exchange, the indictment says, Mr. offered favors such as urging fire officials to approve a Turkish high-rise consulate despite safety concerns. Despite New York Republicans favoring his boss for the city’s executive position, WABC radio host Curtis Sliwa, who ran a failed bid for mayor on the GOP ticket against Mr.
in 2021, said he wants to run for mayor if Mr. resigns and a special election for the city’s top post kicks in. But if Mr.
resigns, .