Rep. Ritchie Torres, outspoken pro-Israel advocate, is dropping hints that he could run for NY governor
Torres may challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul in a primary in 2026
Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, speaks at the March For Israel at the National Mall, Nov. 14, 2023. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
(JTA) It’s clear from Ritchie Torres’ social media that he spends a lot of time thinking about Israel.
But now, the Democratic congressman from the Bronx may have another locale on his mind: Albany.
In the weeks after Election Day Torres, an outspoken pro-Israel advocate, has signaled that he may challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul in a primary in 2026.
“Kathy Hochul is the new Joe Biden,” he tweeted Friday morning. “She may be in denial about the depth of her vulnerabilities as a Democratic nominee. A Democratic incumbent who is less popular in New York than Donald Trump is in grave danger of losing to a Republican in 2026–an outcome not seen in 30 years.”
Torres added, “Let’s avoid repeating history and avoid sleepwalking toward impending disaster and defeat. ‘Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’”
Torres’ comments come as Democrats nationwide and in New York are smarting, and recalibrating, following a Republican sweep of the White House, House of Representatives and Senate. President-elect Donald Trump also made substantial gains in New York City and state. As the political world begins to think about 2026 — still two years away — Hochul could be vulnerable. She has a record-low approval rating of 39%, according to a recent Siena College poll, and fought off a surprisingly close challenge from Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin in 2022.
Torres — who won reelection in his deep blue district — has criticized the far left in the wake of the campaign, during which he stumped for Kamala Harris in front of Jewish audiences, but hasn’t definitively said that he’s in the 2026 race. When asked whether he is running for governor, a spokesperson for Torres told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency over text, “Tbd” — shorthand for, “to be determined.” He made a similar comment on the local news.
“I’ve made no final decision as to where my future lies, but I’m concerned about the crisis of governance we have in New York State and New York City,” Torres told Spectrum News New York 1. “We have a leadership crisis in America and nowhere is it more profound than in New York.”
On Friday morning, Torres told POLITICO’s New York Playbook newsletter that he plans to embark on a “listening tour” of New York and “and find out about the needs of New York state.”
Torres, 36, assumed congressional office in 2021 after serving on the New York City Council for seven years, where he was the first openly gay candidate from the Bronx elected to the office. A moderate Democrat — Torres parted ways with the Congressional Progressive Caucus February — he is known for his pro-Israel politics and for his advocacy against antisemitism.
In Nov. 2023, Torres spoke at the march for Israel in Washington, D.C. and in March, he went to Israel to visit the sites of the Oct. 7 massacres. He is a kind of local celebrity at SAR Academy, a Jewish day school in Riverdale that he has visited multiple times over the past few years. He also traveled to Israel with the school’s principal on a Jewish Community Relations Council trip.
His office has been hit with anti-Israel vandalism. In a speech in January, he said pro-Palestinian protests immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack reminded him of “when the public mobs of Jim Crow would openly celebrate the lynching of African Americans.”
In June, he mocked a covert Israeli campaign to sway him and other Black Democratic U.S. lawmakers to be pro-Israel.
“If you think I need to be ‘influenced’ to be pro-Israel, then please see a doctor because your brain might be rotting,” he wrote on X. He then issued a rare criticism of Israeli conduct.
“The blithering idiots behind this embarrassing operation should be fired for gross incompetence,” Torres wrote. “A foreign influence operation that singles out Black Congressional Democrats is racist. There’s no correlation at all between race and Israel in the United States Congress.”
Torres also told POLITICO Friday that others have suggested he could run for New York City mayor, given Mayor Eric Adams’ scandal-plagued tenure.
Though no one has yet declared a candidacy for governor in 2026, another standout pro-Israel congressman, Republican Mike Lawler, from Rockland County, has also recently weighed a bid for the position. Torres and Lawler together introduced a bill in April to place monitors on college campuses to address antisemitism.
Zeldin, the 2022 Republican candidate, who is Jewish, was recently tapped by Trump to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
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