NY Republicans trying to unseat Democrats in Washington, NYC

NEW YORK -- Republican John Catsimatidis might run for New York City mayor and fellow-GOP member Mike Sapraicone wants to unseat New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Election Day.

Catsimatidis' concerns about crime

Catsimatidis sought the Republican nomination for mayor of New York City in 2013. It didn't end well, and he decided not to run in 2017 , but times have certainly changed and now he's thinking about running again.

"The biggest problem is, New York City, we're at the edge of a disaster," he said on CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer."

If Catsimatidis runs for mayor, he said reducing crime would be his first priority.

"We used to walk around at night, our Gristedes stores, D'Agostino stores were open to midnight. Our restaurants were open until 11:00 at night. We used to walk around the East Side of New York, the West Side of New York, all over New York, and people felt safe," Catsimatidis said. "They don't feel safe, no matter what the statistics are. Nobody believes them."

A recent report from the mayor's office said major felony crime decreased from 2023 to 2024, but remains higher than 2020. The number of shooting incidents in 2024, so far, was below the 2020 level, the report said.

Click here to watch the full interview with Catsimatidis.

Sapraicone trying to defeat Gillibrand

Sapraicone thinks 15 years in Washington, D.C. is enough for Gillibrand. He wants the seat and is campaigning hard to get it.

"She's kind of missing in action, because I traveled the 62 counties. People say to me, 'So who are you running against? That guy Chuck?' And I say, 'No, the other senator.' 'Well who is he? Who is she?' People don't really seem to know. They know her name once they hear her name, but she hasn't been out there. She hasn't been out there with the people. They haven't seen her," Sapraicone told Kramer.

A retired police detective, Sapraicone said New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, should not immediately resign amid the corruption scandal swirling around his administration .

"We still live in a democracy. I think we need to go through the process. I think if he's hurting the city and can't get his job done, then he should step down," Sapraicone said. "I think he can still keep people safe with the police commissioner and everybody else. I think he needs to get his due process. But I think once he can't do it anymore he needs to step away."

Sapraicone said he supports term limits for the U.S. Senate and House, but not the Supreme Court.

Click here to watch the full interview with Sapraicone.

Click here to watch our May 2024 interview with Gillibrand.