Republican New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa dished criticism toward the independent candidates he’s facing this November, saying Tuesday both are “Democrats.”

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo are running as independent candidates against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo lost to Mamdani in the Democratic Party’s primary in June and announced last month that he would run in the general election as an independent.

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Sliwa said Mamdani wants to make New York City the “epicenter of socialism,” and predicted the Democratic candidate doesn’t mind if everyone will “pack their bags and flee.”

“Let me put it in this perspective: Zohran Mamdani is Coca-Cola. Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo are diet cola, diet Coca-Cola because they basically share many of the same beliefs,” Sliwa said Tuesday on CNBC’s Money Movers.

“For instance, they want non-citizens to vote, I don’t, you got to be a citizen. They believe in a sanctuary city, all three of them, I don’t. In fact, I would put it up for a vote of the general population in terms of initiative and referendum,” Sliwa said.

The Department of Justice sued Adams on July 24 over the city’s sanctuary policies, a few days after a suspect illegally in the country was accused of shooting an off-duty Border Patrol officer.

Sliwa further criticized Cuomo, saying the former governor “had his chance” and is “the reason we’re in this mess.” He rebuked the idea of Cuomo being a “moderate” candidate, calling him “the most liberal progressive governor,” and that the governor is doing “a complete spin” from his past.

The Republican candidate encouraged President Donald Trump not to become involved in the mayoral race, saying the president should spend his time “where it’s needed more.” Sliwa reiterated this Tuesday, saying Trump is popular across the state of New York but “not so popular in New York City.”

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Polling released Tuesday puts Sliwa in third place in New York City’s four-way race, getting 12% of the participants’s support. Mamdani leads at 44%, Cuomo follows at 25%, and Adams at just 7%.

Mamdani’s polling is up by about 10% from data released last month, while Cuomo’s polling remains the same. Sliwa and Adam’s polling decreased slightly from their respective 14% and 11%.