Matthew McDermott
A clear sign there is still hope for New York comes with the news that Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, is considering challenging either Mayor Adams next year or Gov. Hochul in 2026.
The only pity is that he can’t challenge them both.
Run, Ritchie, run!
Torres often stands alone or is part of a small group of common-sense Dems in going against the party’s far-left agenda. He refused to join the radical “Squad” in Congress and distinguished himself as an articulate and forceful supporter of Israel.
A gay Afro-Puerto Rican raised as a Catholic in Throggs Neck, his voice rings with moral clarity when he talks about the scourge of antisemitism. He calls his first visit to Israel, in 2015, a “life-changing experience.”
Noting that 45% of New York Jews voted for Donald Trump, compared to about 30% four years ago, Torres wrote on X that “The Anti-Israel fanaticism of the far left is entirely to blame for the erosion of Jewish support.”
He calls the refrain among protesters that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza a “blood libel.” He was among just 22 House Dems last year who voted to censure Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib for spreading false information about the Oct. 7 invasion by Hamas and for her use of the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which would mean the destruction of Israel.
Public-safety candidate
Torres, just 36 years old, is equally direct in his criticism of Hochul and Adams, especially about their failures on public safety. After serial stabber and recidivist Ramon Rivera allegedly killed three people in Manhattan, Torres wrote a scathing letter to both officials in which he cited instances where government officials had the right to detain Rivera but released him.
“There must be consequences when government fails and when innocent New Yorkers lose their lives,” he wrote. “We live in a state and city where the only people seem to suffer consequences are the victims of crime and their loved ones. Enough is enough.”
Days later, and fresh off his landslide re-election victory, Torres announced he was conducting a “listening tour” to decide whether to challenge Hochul in a primary, although he told The Post he’s not ruling out a run for mayor next year.
“Nothing is off the table,” he said.
His unorthodox approach is clear when he calls Hochul “the new Joe Biden,” by which he means a failed leader who is in danger of taking the party over the cliff.
“We have a leadership crisis in America, and nowhere is that leadership crisis more profound than in New York City and New York state under the failed governance of Kathy Hochul,” he said on NY1.
To be clear, as his record in Congress and before that in the City Council shows, Torres is nobody’s idea of a Republican. He favors big-government programs and subsidies, especially for housing the urban poor. One study showed he voted for Biden’s proposed legislation 100% of the time.
That includes the Green New Deal, a far-left fantasy that pushes up energy prices and adds to inflation.
That lockstep agreement is all too common in Washington and many state capitals, where party affiliation determines most votes on major legislation. The pressure from party leaders to conform is enormous, especially in the House, with the reward including government funds for your district to committee assignments and leadership positions.
Far-left hamstring
Executive officials, especially mayors and governors, must be more flexible and less dogmatic because most problems defy ideological straitjackets. As Torres plots his future, he would do well to study the career experiences of Hochul and Adams.
Both took office thinking of themselves as moderate problem- solvers, but both have been hamstrung by far-left legislative members of their own party, where anti-police sentiments are strong and extremely high taxing and spending dominate.
Neither has shown sufficient backbone or learned how to effectively fight back and set the agenda, with the result being that they haven’t made headway in solving New York’s big problems. The toxic mixture of high crime, public disorder, poor schools and an astronomical cost of living are growing worse and driving enormous numbers of taxpayers out of New York.
The migrant crisis is an additional disaster, financially and in terms of public safety, yet Hochul and Adams have not challenged Biden’s open-border policy. Their only complaint is that the feds didn’t help cover the cost or provide work authorizations fast enough.
The sense that the governor and mayor are bystanders at best in the face of this dispiriting decline makes both politically vulnerable.
Adams bears the additional burden of having been indicted on federal charges and faces a spring trial. That’s encouraged potential opponents, and a number of fellow Dems are already lining up to challenge him in next year’s primary.
Most of them, especially city Comptroller Brad Lander, come from the far left, and a victory by him or others would accelerate Gotham’s decline.
Hochul had a near brush with defeat two years ago, largely over rising crime, but she apparently learned nothing. The deceitful way in which she paused the congestion tax before the election, then imposed it immediately afterward, permanently stains her.
Similarly, her failure to address the raging antisemitism at public colleges reflects her go-along, get-along approach.
Ready for a change
To be sure, Torres would face an uphill battle in either race, with incumbents always enjoying advantages.
But there are also reasons to believe many New Yorkers are ready for a big change. Trump got a remarkable 44% of the statewide vote and doubled his share in the city from four years ago, to 30%.
Moreover, overall state turnout was low for a presidential race, at about 57% of registered voters, pointing to an untapped mother lode of New Yorkers.
Turnout in the 2021 mayoral race was even lower, an abysmal 23%, reportedly the lowest in nearly 70 years.
The decline suggests many people have simply lost hope that run-of-the-mill city and state pols will ever make a difference.
Against that backdrop, Torres has the potential to be a once-in-a generation agent of change. A sensible, charismatic Democrat with a compelling life story and a commitment to forging a safer, saner New York could be what the public is waiting for.
Run, Ritchie, run!
Kam resistance plea
Amid reports Kamala Harris’ campaign is $20 million in debt, a group called the Harris Fight Fund is begging for donations. A short, vague email claims that cash is needed “to hold Trump accountable these next four years” and links to ActBlue.
Color me suspicious.
Let the blues see red
Reader Frank Giabia suggests how Donald Trump can best deal with blue states that block migrant deportations: “Only go after migrants in red states. When people in blue states see an increase in their states, and a reduction in red states, they may boot their politicians.”