New York Democrats are finding themselves in disarray. Both New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul are likely to face primary challengers. On Monday morning, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) spoke to both of those races, including a race he himself may run in.
During his appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Torres endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to run against Adams in the Democratic Party this June. As Torres offered, Cuomo has the "competence and courage" to be mayor when the city is "in crisis." Although Cuomo has yet to announce his run, there's been chatter he'll do so. Torres indicated his remarks were "both" an endorsement of Cuomo and an indictment of Adams, when asked by co-host Joe Kernen.
Torres made similar remarks earlier in the morning to The New York Post:
“The two most important things we need are competence and courage,” Torres (D-NY), who reps the Bronx, told The Post. “Andrew Cuomo has the competence to govern the city. He has the courage to stand up to extremist politics — both from the far left and far right.
“We don’t need a Mr. Nice Guy. We need a Mr. Tough Guy.”
...
“He has my endorsement as soon as he enters the race,” the congressman said.
Cuomo, he noted, has a well of support among his mostly black and Latino working-class constituency and predicted the former governor’s critics will be surprised by the level of backing he will get.
Torres said he wasn’t interested in “relitigating” Cuomo’s resignation from office in 2021 over sexual misconduct claims leveled against him by a slew of women, including female staffers. Cuomo, for his part, has denied the allegations.
“I predict the comeback story of the 2025 election will be the resurrection of Andrew Cuomo,” he said. “America loves a comeback, New York loves a comeback.”
...
Torres called Mayor Eric Adams, who is seeking re-election, a “disappointment,” an “ineffective mayor” who made “questionable appointments.” He said Adams hasn’t earned re-election even putting aside his legal woes.
Torres called Mayor Eric Adams, who is seeking re-election, a “disappointment,” an “ineffective mayor” who made “questionable appointments.” He said Adams hasn’t earned re-election even putting aside his legal woes.
Although not by name, Torres did speak out against another candidate on "Squawk Box," though it was clear he was speaking about Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. "There's a mayoral candidate who openly identifies with the Democratic Socialists of America, which celebrated the mass murder of Jews on October 7," Torres said, using such concern about Mamdani to express appreciation for Cuomo. "So when it comes to confronting political extremism in New York, when it comes to confronting the crisis of crime, we need not a nice guy but a tough guy."
The New York Post also mentioned Torres' remarks against Mamdani:
Torres did not mention any of the other Democratic mayoral candidates — with the exception of Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. Torres said Mamdani’s association with the Jewish-bashing Democratic Socialists of America makes him unsuitable to be mayor.
He said DSA members celebrated the “mass murder of Jews” at a rally right after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.
“We’re confronting a level of extremism unprecedented in the history of New York,” Torres said.
Mamdani, who has declared he's running for mayor, has reposted the New York City affiliate of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) from his X account. Last February, Mamdani called out Adams for how he had invited and welcomed Israeli President Isaac Herzog, with the assemblyman then referencing bogus claims from the International Court of Justice against Israel.
His post close to the October 7, 2023 attacks, on October 8, referenced "the last 36 hours across Israel and Palestine[,]" and spent more time calling out Israel and claiming there was "occupation" and "apartheid," spreading anti-Israel narratives against our ally in the Middle East that had just been brutally attacked.
A post from Mamdani on the anniversary of the attacks was a bit better, as it referenced the murdered Israelis and how many were still being held hostage, though his post also used propaganda numbers provided by Hamas to claim Israel killed "more than 42,000 Palestinians" and accused Israel's leaders of "having launched a genocidal war."
The DSA-NYC has repeatedly condemned Israel over X. Their website also contains a "No Money for Massacre" section, which demands a ceasefire, though it says nothing about the safe return of hostages or the 1,200 Israelis killed on October 7, 2023.
Torres himself has been a fierce defender of Israel and the Jewish people. One of his most recent posts over X is of his remarks with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum
I will always stand with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in demanding the release of the Israeli hostages.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) February 24, 2025
Instead of denouncing Israel for defending itself, the world should be pressuring Hamas to let the hostages go. #BringThemHome pic.twitter.com/TDxkzxYoPY
Later in the interview, the gubernatorial race for 2026 came up, as a co-host straight up asked, "Are you running for governor?" Torres said he's "considering a run for governor." As he spoke about New York's swing towards President Donald Trump for 2024, a state which Kamala Harris only won last November by 12.6 points when Joe Biden won in 2020 by 23.1 points, Torres blamed Hochul and her "failing government." He also brought up how New Yorkers are taking issue with Hochul's leadership. Torres did call congestion pricing, however, a "necessity," which could cost him votes. As Townhall has been covering, the Trump administration has ended the congestion pricing, to the extreme ire of Hochul.
"Torres himself is considering running against Gov. Kathy Hochul in a Democratic primary next year. He has consistently needled Hochul, claiming she’s a weak and ineffective governor," The New York Post mentioned. "He did not divulge whether he and Cuomo discussed his own potential run for the statehouse."
Last month, the Post covered Torres' remarks regarding a program for disabled toddlers, calling it the "worst early intervention program."
Hochul has faced some particularly disastrous poll numbers, as polling from Siena College shows. Fifty-seven percent of New York registered voters last December and this month said they want "someone else." Further, last month's polling from Morning Consult shows her to be one of the most unpopular governors up for reelection in 2026, as Torres reacted to over X at the time.
Kathy Hochul is the new Joe Biden.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) January 16, 2025
If Hochul is at the top of the ticket in 2026, we as Democrats are in grave danger of not only losing the governorship to a Republican for the first time in more than 20 years but also losing multiple Congressional seats. Hochul is a… pic.twitter.com/WirNiakr6C
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