Rep. Ritchie Torres considering run for governor as he turns up heat on Hochul and doesnt rule out bid for NYC mayor
Surprise, surprise.Bronx Rep.Ritchie Torres confirmed he’s considering a run for New York governor Monday — while continuing an onslaught of attacks against fellow Democrat Gov.
Kathy Hochul.Torres said in a spate of appearances that he’s launching a “listening tour” across the Empire State ahead of making a decision in mid-2025 on a potential gubernatorial run and Democratic primary against Hochul.But the Bronx congressman — who has also blasted Eric Adams as “complicit” in the murders of three innocent people by alleged serial stabber Ramon Rivera last week — told The Post he’s also not ruling out a run for New York City mayor.“I thought I would run for governor (rather) than mayor, but nothing is off the table,” he said at a rally opposing Hochul’s planned expansion of the Cross Bronx Expressway.“Failed governance” in both the city and the state — which Torres argued led to President-elect Donald Trump’s shocking gains during the 2024 election in deep-blue New York — showed the need for new leadership, he said.Torres, however, largely focused on attacking Hochul, whom he repeatedly denigrated as the “new Joe Biden” — an unpopular leader leading New Yorkers and Democrats into ruin.During the Bronx rally and a NY1 interview, he launched into a searing critique of Hochul’s leadership.He said New Yorkers feel the governor has failed them as they watch their quality of life, safety and affordability decline.“We have a leadership crisis in America, and nowhere is a leadership crisis more profound than in New York City and in New York State under the failed governance of Kathy Hochul,” he told NY1.“She’s well-intentioned but ineffective,” he said in the Bronx.
“She’s been ineffective in her handling of congestion pricing, managing to outrage both supporters and opponents of congestion pricing.I have lost confidence and I blame the failed governance of New York State and New York City for Donald Trump’s progr...